Elaine Carbines appointed as deputy chair of Ports Victoria

FORMER G21 chief executive officer Elaine Carbines has been appointed as the deputy chair of Ports Victoria, which comes into being next month.

The new body, announced in early March, is a merger of the Victorian Regional Channels Authority and the Victorian Ports Corporation, and will lead the strategic management and operation of Victoria’s commercial ports and waterways.

The Victorian Government, which revealed the makeup of Ports Victoria’ board on Wednesday last week, said Ms Carbines was a strong local leader who would provide critical knowledge of the Barwon region.

Howard Ronaldson will chair the board. He is a former secretary of the Victorian Department of Infrastructure and Department of Business and Innovation.

The other members of the board will be Des Powell, Janice van Reyk and Peter Tuohey, with all members to work alongside the Department of Transport.

Ports Victoria will begin operating out of Geelong on July 1, recognising the city’s important role in Victoria’s ports system through GeelongPort and the future relocation of the Spirit of Tasmania.

“I look forward to working with government to establish this important new body and ensure the continued growth of Victoria’s ports sector,” Mr Ronaldson said.

“Victoria’s ports play a crucial role in our state’s exports and I am looking forward to leading the transition and future strategic plan of Ports Victoria.”

About $26 billion of locally produced and manufactured exports pass through Victoria’s commercial ports annually, handling almost a quarter of Australia’s total food and fibre exports.

The establishment of Ports Victoria is a key finding of the independent review of the Victorian Ports System, a comprehensive review set to cut red tape, boost safety and improve the operations of the vital ports industry.