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Queensland and Victoria ditch roadhouse sanctions

Straggling states open way to long-haul drivers two weeks after deal

 

Long-haul truck drivers in need of rest and sustenance now have the right to take advantage of roadhouse facilities in Queensland and Victoria without hindrance, if they are open.

The move follows a National Cabinet agreement on March 24, forceful police action in the meantime at roadhouses that occurred before states acted on the agreement and the widely reported closure of roadhouses due to the state coronavirus responses not being amended speedily.

Queensland’s Chief Health Officer, Dr Jeannette Young, issued an amended Restricted Access to Designated Areas Direction yesterday.

In it an exemption is added to a ‘designated area’ for a person involved in ‘Freight and logistics and passenger services’.

It relates to a person who:

  • is transporting freight by sea, land or air, to, from or through the designated area and, as a far as practicable, remains quarantined in their vehicle or accommodation; or
  • provides logistics and support for the transport of freight by sea, land or air, to, from or through the designated area and, as a far as practicable, remains quarantined in their vehicle or accommodation.

A ‘permitted purpose’ relates to a “person who resides outside the designated area but needs to access the designated area for a permitted purpose”.

Permitted purposes in Queensland include work “that cannot reasonably be performed from the person’s principal place of residence” when a person must “obtain or provide essential goods or services”, of which trucking is one.

The full direction notice can be found here.


Read about the glacial movement of other states, here


In Victoria at around the same time though dated earlier, deputy chief health officer (communicable disease) Dr Annaliese van Diemen issued Restricted Activity Directions (No 2), which restricts operations of certain businesses during the ‘state of emergency’ but revokes the earlier version.

In it, ‘permitted operations’ now include those for  “a person wo owns, controls or operates a food and drink facility . . . on premises that have a dedicated area for the purposes of providing food and drink to drivers of fatigue-regulated heave vehicles”.

Exceptions for accommodation facility include exceptions are where the occupants have travelled to Victoria for work

Victoria’s new directions can be found here.

 

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