Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support the Transport Workers Union's Safe and Fair Rates campaign to address the dire situation faced by the road transport industry, which has seen a tragic and totally unacceptable 6.6 per cent growth in the number of fatalities so far this year. In 2010, 330 Australians lost their lives because of the ongoing crisis in the road transport industry. The National Transport Commission's 2008 landmark report on addressing safety on our roads found that:

Economic factors create an incentive for truck drivers to drive fast, work long hours and use illicit substances to stay awake.

In my electorate of Greenway there are over 1,000 professional drivers, many of whom are at risk of falling victim to these factors if something is not done. Blacktown resident and ex-truck-driver of 45 years Mr Brian Thomas, whom I have previously mentioned in this place, has expressed to me the real dangers that all truck drivers face because of pressure from the top. He told me:

The fatigue and stress put on truck drivers is extreme. The big bosses push truck drivers too hard and demand they meet near-impossible targets. These demands put everyone in danger—the truckies and other road users.

That is why I support the TWU's call to urgently implement a 'safe rates' system that includes enforceable rates of remuneration and related conditions for employed truck drivers and self-employed truck owner-drivers that are safe and fair; an enforceable requirement on planning for the safe and legal performance of road transport journeys; and the establishment of a chain of responsibility.

I also take this opportunity to ackno­wledge retiring senator Steve Hutchins, who was, and will remain, a stalwart of the TWU, and his efforts to improve the lives of all professional truck drivers. (Time expired)