The ATA has asked the FWC and government to veer away from fixed rates as a method of fixing Australia’s road transport industry
In its weekly Friday Facts newsletter, the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has called on the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to set minimum standards instead of fixing B2B rates for the road transport supply chain industry.
The ATA’s employee-like forms of work committee reached this unified position last week ahead of discussions with the federal government abouts its planned legislation.
ATA CEO Mathew Munro says the original Road Safety Remuneration Act had attempted to impose minimum rates on all owner drivers.
“The new legislation should not repeat this approach, which was impossible to understand and established two-tier pricing across the industry,” Munro says.
“Instead, minimum standards orders made by the FWC should apply to all parties in the supply chain, provided there are not mandatory minimum business to business rates and the road transport sector is outside the employee like work reforms.
“Minimum standards could include cost schedules or other requirements that do not involve rates.”
The committee agreed to press for a two-stage process for making road freight transport orders, with the equivalent of a Notice of Proposed Rule Making issued 24 months before an order comes into force.
“In addition, it is critical that the terms of a supply chain contract are void if they are inconsistent with a road transport industry order,” Munro says.
The meeting included representatives from the Australian Furniture Removers’ Association, Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters’ Association, Northern Territory Road Transport Association, Queensland Trucking Association, South Australian Road Transport Association and the Western Roads Federation.