Pandemic response measures extension welcomed
The NSW government’s extending temporary planning measures response to Covid-19 until March 2022 has gained the thumbs up from the Australian Logistics Council (ALC).
“The most visible manifestation of the Covid-19 crisis for many Australians was the sight of supermarket shelves that had been stripped bare due to panic buying,” ALC CEO Kirk Coningham says.
“The single most effective government action taken to address this challenge did not involve massive expenditure, but sensible, effective collaboration.
The ALC argues governments should guided by the clear benefits of removing restrictions such as truck curfews and bans.
Read an earlier ALC call to lift curfews and bans permanently, here
“It’s important to note, that virtually no one in the community is calling for their return, and thus governments should feel empowered to act and make their removal a permanent part of the ‘new normal’,” Coningham says.
“This includes removing curfews on overnight deliveries to supermarkets and other retail premises, removing bans on heavy vehicles using particular routes, removing curfews on port operations and the removal of airport noise curfews that inhibit the movement of air freight.
“Similarly, as the Covid-19 vaccination roll out continues, it is imperative that delivery of vaccine stock is not inhibited by the imposition of restrictive curfews.
“The removal of curfews will give logistics operators and their customers greater capacity and flexibility when using the road network to meet surges in demand.
“Removing curfews is a low-cost, common sense measure that will help achieve that outcome.
“ALC looks forward to working with the NSW Government to bring about targeted regulatory reform focused on increasing the productivity of the supply chain through removal of outdated regulatory restrictions to provide greater amenity and certainty to the community.”