ALC urges Queensland premier to immediately re-introduce bill to implement national regulations to prevent the reform agenda from stalling
May 16, 2012
The Australian Logistics Council (ALC) is putting the heat on fresh-faced Queensland Premier Campbell Newman to re-introduce the bill necessary to implement national heavy vehicle regulations.
The introduction of the National Heavy Vehicle Law Bill into the state’s parliament was derailed in March when Queenslanders went to the poll.
The Bill was not passed before the election was called, meaning it must be re-introduced when the new parliament sits.
The national reform agenda is heavily reliant on Queensland, and ALC Managing Director Michael Kilgariff wants the Bill to be one of Newman’s first legislative priorities.
“The Heavy Vehicle National Law [Bill] is an applied law that needs to be passed by the Queensland Parliament before it can be enacted by all other state and territory jurisdictions across Australia,” he says.
Kilgariff says national regulations will eliminate many of the cross-border inconsistencies which currently plague businesses and drive up compliance costs.
“The legislation creates Australia’s first ever National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) and has strong support across industry as it is critical to boosting productivity, increasing efficiency and improving safety in the sector,” he says.
The NHVR will be based in Queensland with offices throughout the country.
“ALC looks forward to the Bill’s timely introduction and passage through by the Queensland Parliament so it can be introduced to other jurisdictions around the country,” Kilgariff says.
