Commission says proposed changes will reduce red tape and align the Code with UN recommendations
The National Transport Commission (NTC) is inviting members of the transport industry and other stakeholders to have their say on the proposed changes to the Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road and Rail.
NTC chief executive Paul Retter says the proposed changes will cut the existing red tape on transporting specified quantities of household and personal care goods classified as dangerous.
The proposals aim to implement a common placard limit of two tonnes for all movements of limited quantities of goods classified as dangerous, and allow retail packages of “very small quantities of goods” classified as dangerous to be transported in a mixed package to be carried as general freight.
“We continually update the Code to keep Australians safe and to cut unnecessary red tape on business,” Retter says.
“These changes have been designed to help businesses get their goods to market efficiently without imposing a detectable level of risk to the Australian public.
“However we are keen to hear from a range of views about whether they are an appropriate and effective way of doing this.”
Retter says the proposal includes changes to help align the existing code with the latest United Nations recommendations (UN19), and changes and improvements to the Australian rules governing the transport of dangerous goods in limited qualities, as approved in-principle by the Ministerial Council in 2015.
Members of the transport industry, dangerous goods technical experts, chemical manufacturers and importers, and other interested parties can submit their feedback through the NTC website by August 9.