Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I, and also on behalf of Senators Gallacher, Bilyk and Sterle, move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) the road transport industry is Australia's deadliest industry,

  (ii) a 2016 report by the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics stated 'Heavy trucks are disproportionately involved in casualty crashes: approximately 16% of road crash fatalities and 4% of injuries involve these vehicles' – this is despite Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics data that trucks make up only 2.45% of registered vehicles, and

  (iii) the latest Safe Work Australia statistics show there have been 138 workplace deaths since the start of the year, of which 51 have been transport workers;

(b) recognises that:

  (i) a significant driver of the road transport task is retail supply chains – all major retailers in the supply chain should be accountable for their impact on safety, wages and fair dealings with transport operators,

  (ii) on 15 October 2019, Channel 9 News aired shocking evidence of a disregard for safety: safety doors blocked, fire equipment hemmed in, chaotic food storage, filthy floors, faulty electrics, poor lighting for truck drivers delivering goods and a flooded yard outside a loading dock at Aldi stores across Australia, and

  (iii) on 16 October 2019, truck drivers across Australia took part in nationwide protests to highlight concerns they have with safety at Aldi; and

(c) congratulates transport workers and their worker representatives, the Transport Workers Union of Australia, on helping bring the safety issues in the retail supply chain to light.