Munro says the industry must be prepared to fight back against the NSW carriers contract rules
The Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) has outlined some of its key concerns and priorities for the next 12 months.
Speaking at the Livestock and Rural Transporters Association Victoria (LRTAV) annual conference last weekend, ALRTA president Kevin Keenan and executive director Mathew Munro also mentioned some of the efforts made by the national body in the past one year.
ALRTA expressed concerns with regards to NSW General Carriers Contract Determination (GCCD) and how the recent changes to the determination had the potential to affect operators from other states as well.
Up until now the ALRTA had been treating GCCD as more of a state issue but owing to concerns across the industry and across all states the ALRTA has decided to “get involved and knock that one over too if possible”, Munro said.
“It is the little brother of RSRT that has come back to haunt us. Our council this week decided that the national body should get involved in this issue.”
Another key concern for the national body is the matter of chain of responsibility (CoR) and making it consistent with industry best practice guidelines.
“ALRTA has been looking to improve duties and responsibilities in this [CoR] area, which have been very ambiguous in the past in terms of whether or not preparation of animals prior to transport would be captured by the chain of responsibilities,” Munro said.
“It is one of our priority to keep going with the issue in the next 12 months.
“We will continue to work in this direction to improve the chain of responsibilities regime and make sure it focusses on general duties for instance, effluent issues.”
ALRTA said it will continue to push for better truck washout infrastructure to help livestock farmers battling issues arising from effluent spills.
It also plans to continue its efforts to improve access-related issues, particularly in the rural sector where existing local roads and bridges pose problems for heavy livestock vehicles.
Munro also outlined ALRTA’s plan to push for an industry code of conduct that can look into safety and fairness issues beyond the jural perimeter of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR).
ALRTA has encouraged members to voice their opinion and offer feedback related to its plans for future efforts.
“ALRTA exists to improve your business operating environments, if you have issues you want to address make sure you engage with ALRTA,” Keenan said.
ALRTA has launched a new logo and announced plans to move its office to the current Australian Trucking Association (ATA) office building in Canberra.
It recently adopted a new constitution that “modernises the operations of the secretariat” and sets out fixed terms for election cycles.
Munro announced that ALRTA will soon appoint a new executive while Keenan will remain president of the association for the twelve months after October 1 this year.
The Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT) and its Contractor Driver Minimum Payment Road Safety Remuneration Order (RSRO) may be gone but they are certainly not forgotten, and with the Transport Workers Union (TWU) sitting like a wounded gazelle in the hope that Labor could help reinstate the tribunal if it comes back in power in the future, the fear in the industry seems justifiable.
The subject came up again at the LRTAV conference, with ALRTA stating that making sure the RSRT and a minimum rates order does not re-emerge is a matter of key concern for the national body.