Sid Sidebottom (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

that the former government had 12 years to deal with major infrastructure throughout Australia and the bottlenecks that the lack of infrastructure caused. I can assure him that our processes for introducing major infrastructure funding throughout Australia will be transparent and open and will not be the political fix that he so ungraciously commented on. But in the main his comments on this legislation were very positive. Indeed, he has made a very positive contribution towards improving transport and infrastructure in Australia, particularly in his role as a former minister.

The Interstate Road Transport Charge Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2008 is to amend the Interstate Road Charge Act 1985, which imposes registration charges for heavy vehicles registered under the Australian government’s voluntary Federal Interstate Registration Scheme, or FIRS. By way of background, the vast majority of trucks—that is, 97 per cent—are registered under state schemes that have already implemented these changes and, indeed, these charges. The bill allows regulations to be made to specify heavy vehicle charges for application to FIRS vehicles themselves. The bill will enable the implementation of the registration charge elements of the 2007 heavy vehicle charges determination, which revises national charges for heavy vehicles and trailers for application to heavy vehicles registered under FIRS.

Again by way of background, the determination was agreed to by the Australian Transport Council on 29 February 2008 and was implemented by all states and the Northern Territory on 1 July 2008. The implementation of the determination is part of the national road transport reform agenda as agreed under the Inter-Governmental Agreement for Regulatory and Operational Reform in Road, Rail and Intermodal Transport. The determination implements the Council of Australian Governments’ request to fully recover the cost of provision of the road network to the heavy vehicle industry.

This bill is another important but small step that will help to restore balance in this country and put players in the transport industry back on a more level footing. The bill will essentially mean that everyone is paying their fair share to cover the impact they have on the transport network around Australia. Our broad and diverse nation cannot survive without an efficient and well-maintained road network, and this is what we are trying to achieve through this current amendment.

My own state of Tasmania is particularly reliant on road transport. As a very productive state, we have a great need for strong links between the various corners of the island state to send our quality products to the world stage. I note my Tasmanian colleague the member for Franklin is in the House and would agree that these quality products that we all share very much rely on movement by road transport in Tasmania. If the transport industry is not driving then the Tasmanian economy is not moving. More than 400 heavy vehicles traverse Tasmania daily, and the industry directly employs thousands and is critical to the success of so many other businesses throughout the state.

Robin Phillips, from the Tasmanian Transport Association, tells me that the importance of the road networks to my state cannot be underestimated and, with some uncertainties currently surrounding rail operations in Tasmania, it may even play a greater role. Mr Phillips says this is why investment in road infrastructure, which this bill is partly about, is so critical. He says many parts of Tasmania’s key roads are at a similar stage to the Hume Highway of more than two decades ago, when a major push for upgrading began. Road accidents will always be an issue when there are a huge number of vehicles travelling towards each other on one carriageway. The more one can isolate vehicles from oncoming traffic the better. We have seen a great example of this recently in my electorate, where I was privileged to open the final stage of the duplication of the Bass Highway between Burnie and Devonport. The Bass Highway is the most heavily freighted traffic road in Tasmania, due in part to the ports of Bernie and Devonport. Indeed, the Bass Highway goes through to Launceston.

The completion of this section helps overcome poor service levels and queuing problems; reduces the number and severity of accidents with consequential economic benefits to our community; delivers longer term economic benefits through improved trade and commerce, both within the state and with markets on the mainland and overseas; and improves the connectivity in the north-west of the state. The final stage of the duplication was worth $47 million and it included a second bridge over the beautiful Leven River at Ulverstone. It also completed the entire $70.5 million project, which has meant a major improvement in the safety and travel time between the two major centres of Devonport and Burnie.

Safety on our roads is something that we can never downplay. An important spin-off of this legislation will be the Rudd government’s $70 million heavy vehicle safety and productivity package. So what does this include? As the member for Groom mentioned, trials of black box technologies that electronically monitor truck drivers’ work hours and vehicle speeds can only have but good, positive, safety oriented results. The construction of more heavy vehicle rest stops and parking areas along our highways and on the outskirts of our major cities again can only have very positive, safety oriented effects, as can bridge strengthening projects and upgrades to linkages between existing AusLink freight routes. The safety measures will tie in with other changes in the transport scene across Australia.

In February 2007, as I mentioned, the Australian Transport Council approved model legislation to reform the management of heavy vehicle driver fatigue. The new nationally consistent laws should have come into effect in most mainland states on 29 September this year. Tasmania plans to introduce the reforms next year. The reforms will apply to heavy vehicles with a GVM of 12 tonnes or more and buses that seat more than 12 adults. Driver fatigue remains a leading contributing crash factor for heavy vehicle drivers. Indeed, the pressure on heavy vehicle drivers is great, and I am not sure that people appreciate the demands that are made on these drivers by the transport sector. I sometimes also believe that most car drivers fail to recognise the significant driving skills needed to handle these rigs in particular on our roads.

The new laws change the focus from regulating hours to managing fatigue. Working longer hours and fighting the body’s natural clock at night is recognised as a high-risk activity and dealt with accordingly. More flexible working arrangements are offered to those parties who can clearly demonstrate proper management of driver fatigue issues. The new laws also recognise that other parties in the chain of responsibility can influence on-road driving behaviours. Parties in the supply chain whose actions, inactions or demands cause or contribute to road safety breaches can be held legally accountable. Everyone in the supply chain must take reasonable steps to prevent driver fatigue and ensure that a driver does not drive a heavy vehicle while impaired by fatigue—an approach consistent with occupational health and safety laws. Offences under the new laws are classified according to the actual level of risk: the greater the risk involved the more significant the penalties. Penalties will range from fines under an infringement notice to court imposed penalties and the loss of demerit points.

This responsibility for fatigue is something that the Transport Workers Union says cannot be overstated. Bill Noonan, branch secretary for the Transport Workers Union, says it is up to everyone in the delivery chain to play their part in ensuring the safety of heavy vehicle drivers and, in turn, everyone else sharing the roads. That is common sense and makes for greater safety. He says people on the distribution end of the supply chain need to make sure they do everything they can to avoid excessive queuing wherever they can, but also provide proper facilities and areas for drivers to rest, hence the relationship to this legislation. This is not just peculiar to areas of the transport industry on long-haul road transport, but also sectors like logging, where it can sometimes be overlooked. Indeed, the transport undertaken by logging contractors and others in my state is considerable.

Mr Noonan tells me that people often think of transport as being the big long-haul routes across the various states. But he challenges anyone to go to their local shopping centre and look at everything on the shelves and realise that it was all delivered by a truck or a van of some description. He says the industry is one that is used to meeting challenges, such as the current rise in fuel prices, and is prepared to pay its way for a reasonable return in areas such as road infrastructure and safety. Some have said it will be just another cost that will be passed on to consumers, but these are recommendations that have come from work initiated by the former government.

The National Transport Commission says the cost of groceries in remote areas may increase by a maximum of 17c for every $100 spent. I accept this is a cost, but in terms of trying to develop greater safety it is something that we must do for the benefit overall. It must also be noted that the change to this legislation will only impact on a small number of transport operators across the industry who have federally registered vehicles. State registered trucks, as I mentioned at the commencement of my speech, are already covered under the new regime.

Improving transport infrastructure and increasing safety is the central point of this bill. It will ensure that everyone is making a fair contribution to the funds that will make that infrastructure a reality and encourage government to invest in both roads and safety both now and into the future.

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