WAFarmers’ President Steve McGuire has sent a letter to Minister for Agriculture and Small Business, Hon Jackie Jarvis MLC, calling for her urgent advocacy for a commonsense change that will minimise trade disruption during the 12-month closure of the Fremantle Traffic Bridge.
The State Government will rebuild the Fremantle Traffic Bridge, halving the number of vehicle bridges across the Swan River for “up to a year” from 1 February 2026. Given the next opportunity to cross the river is the Kwinana Freeway Narrows Bridge around 20km away, the closure will cause significant traffic congestion, delays and consequences for trade.
Unfortunately, the primary heavy vehicle freight route connecting the Perth Airport, Kewdale Rail Freight Terminal and many significant road freight hubs to the Fremantle Container Port requires freight vehicles to use one of the two (soon to be one) bridges in Fremantle.
The expected congestion is likely to have significant impacts on the transport sector, and subsequently, trade.
WAFarmers has suggested a relatively minor regulatory change to temporarily allow slightly longer trucks that will double the number of shipping containers able to be carried per truck, thus halving the number of truck movements across the single remaining bridge, reducing congestion and emissions, and perhaps most importantly, minimising the likelihood of costly disruptions to business and trade. WA already has these longer vehicles which are allowed to operate on our roads under a case-by-case permit system – which proves they can be safety used.
WAFarmers knows this is not within the direct remit of Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Small Business Hon Jackie Jarvis, but has asked her to advocate on behalf of her constituency of primary producers and business for the simple change within Cabinet.
For member’s awareness, the full text of the letter is below:
Hon Jackie Jarvis MLC
Minister for Agriculture and Food; Fisheries; Small Business
By email: [email protected]
5 January 2026
Dear Minister,
SUPPORT TO MINIMISE TRADE DISRUPTION DURING FREMANTLE TRAFFIC BRIDGE CLOSURE
I write to seek your urgent advocacy to change regulations to temporarily allow the maximum length of trucks to be increased which would double their capacity from one to two 40-foot containers.
This will reduce the number of truck movements in and out of the Fremantle port, increase efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and importantly, minimise disruption to trade (small business, fisheries and agriculture) caused by delays resulting from the closure of the Fremantle Traffic Bridge.
These longer vehicles are already allowed on Western Australian roads with a permit and thus obviously do not pose any inherent or insurmountable risk.
Furthermore, WAFarmers asks you to ensure that the government does not impose a mandated restriction of truck movements across the Swan River without full compensation to all those impacted. A curfew as discussed recently in the media, could have implications much wider than obvious driver fatigue and vehicle parking issues, such as extra costs related to perishable goods and adherence to tight shipping schedules.
As you are undoubtedly aware, shipping containers are critical to the export and supply of chemicals, seeds, feed, tools, parts, equipment and wholesale products essential to Western Australian small businesses and primary producers.
While it is understandable that compromises need to be made to enable upgrades of some critical infrastructure, it is difficult to accept that a proposal to safely halve the number of truck movements – especially while the Fremantle Traffic Bridge is being rebuilt – cannot be supported and immediately implemented.
If you or your staff would like to further discuss this issue or any other, please make contact at your earliest opportunity.
Yours sincerely,
Steve McGuire
President
