The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has stepped out in support of the Coalition’s promise to consult with industry on plans to halve the fuel excise for a year if it wins the election.
When opposition leader Peter Dutton last week announced the plan to halve the excise in his budget reply speech, he also revealed an intention to review it with the heavy vehicle industry.
“A Coalition government will halve the fuel excise for 12 months, and then we’ll review it, and we’ll make sure that that comes in on the first day that our Parliament sits,” he said.
“Working with industry, we will ensure that heavy vehicle road users also benefit from this measure.”
In response, the Queensland Trucking Association (QTA) has warned the fuel excise plan won’t have a positive impact unless the road user charge is also addressed, while the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad) says the excise cut must protect the Fuel Tax Credit scheme.
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ATA CEO Mathew Munro says he urges the opposition to recognise that the effective fuel tax rate paid by trucking businesses was determined by the road user charge set by the transport minister, not the headline fuel excise rate.
“The Morrison government halved fuel excise in the March 2022 budget but did not reduce the road user charge by the same amount. As a result, the decision created significant issues for trucking businesses,” he says.
“The ATA welcomes the Coalition’s commitment to work with industry on the details of the policy if it wins the election.”
The 2025-26 budget, released on Tuesday, included $17.1 billion for new and existing road and rail projects, as well as a two stage reduction in the 16 per cent personal income tax rate from mid-2026.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers also announced that the government would abolish non-compete clauses for most workers.
“People shouldn’t need to hire a lawyer to take the next step in their career,” he says.
The ATA says ABS figures show that 17 per cent of employers in the transport, postal and warehousing sector, which includes trucking, use non-compete clauses.
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