The prime minister's plan to eliminate the RSRT has been backed by the ATA, NatRoad and QTA
Transport industry bodies have commended prime minister Malcolm Turnbull’s announcement in favour of abolition of the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT) if his party wins the July federal election.
The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) welcomes the announcement and urges all political parties to support the government’s bill to suspend the implementation of the Contractor Driver Minimum Payments Road Safety Remuneration Order 2016 (RSRO).
The ATA has been urging the government to repeal the Road Safety Remuneration Act 2012 and abolish the tribunal as a matter of urgency, ATA CEO Christopher Melham says.
“The ATA will support any move that can abolish the tribunal,” Melham says.
The trucking association says it supports the government’s plan to increase the funding of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) by redirecting monies from the RSRT to the NHVR.
“The ATA strongly supports measures that have genuine impacts on safety, because even one accident is one too many.
“The Heavy Vehicle National Law is seeing a consistent and constructive approach to improving real safety outcomes through fatigue, speeding and loading requirements.
“The ATA has successfully lobbied for major changes to the Chain of Responsibility (COR) laws that cover businesses in the road freight transport supply chain.
“As we said in our letter to the prime minister last week, safety is the trucking industry’s first priority, but the road safety remuneration system has not and will not improve safety outcomes at all,” Melham says.
The Queensland Transport Association (QTA) says it backs ATA’s approach in calling for the abolition of the tribunal and increased funding for the NHVR to improve road safety.
While the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad) welcomes the announcement, it says the industry needs immediate action to restore balance in the trucking sector.
“I’m pleased to see the prime minister listening to concerns raised not only by NatRoad’s members but also in two reviews of the Tribunal,” NatRoad CEO Warren Clark says.
“However thousands of owner-drivers, and small and medium transport businesses, now have to comply with RSRO 2016 and charge a higher fee for their services.
“These families need the Order suspended to have any hope of keeping their businesses afloat.
“Once again, I urge all members of parliament to support the government’s bill to suspend RSRO 2016 when it is introduced in the week of April 18.”