Rural WA freight route fees climb
Residents of rural Western Australia are wondering how their cost of living can be lowered, with freight charges pushing the price of everyday items through the roof.
Remote CMS is Peter Grundy’s company; they are responsible for restocking community shops across Pilbara and Kimberly region. Mr Grundy says delivering goods to extremely remote towns is simply more expensive, up to $4.50 for a litre of milk in some shops.
"If you have someone living at a remote community, you've got to house them and pay for power; the cost of the electricity can be double or triple... the model of operating is just higher than it is in a mainstream town," he said, “the extra burden of freight is an example of one, the wages could be another.”
Freight fees to businesses in Kalumburu, in the far northern tip of the Kimberley for example, can run as high as $50,000 per month. Mr Grundy says he realises exorbitant freight costs put pressure on families in the bush, but he cannot see a way to deliver the services for any less.