Additions to Heavy Vehicle Charging and Investment Reform board broaden understanding
By Rob McKay | May 15, 2013
Trucking industry input into Heavy Vehicle Charging and Investment Reform (HVCI) board deliberations has been invaluable, according to HVCI Project Director Meena Niadu.
New additions to the board Australian Trucking Association (ATA) Chairman David Simon, Australian Logistics Council (ALC) Deputy Chairman Andrew Ethell and former Australian Livestock Transporters Association CEO turned Juturna Consulting Principal Luke Fraser, attended their first full official board meeting on Friday.
Their feedback had helped take the guesswork out of likely industry reaction to the ideas and concepts the reform process is dealing with, Naidu says.
This had “reinforced the value of working with industry” and allowed industry representatives to be exposed to the broader issues.
Naidu also praised the ATA’s PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report on charging as a valuable contribution to the debate, particularly its focus on transition issues from the present dysfunctional system.
While HVCI was unlikely to agree with every aspect of the report, she felt the logic of it was plain and the longer term position resonated.
HVCI would now “test the steps”.
Naidu says the report showed the proactive side of industry that should be encouraged.
“In some areas we are ahead of industry,” she adds.
“For instance, we think it’s really important that industry gets to direct where the charges go.”
HVCI is in the midst of a consultation process that has revealed what it sees as a disconnect for industry on the relationship between charging, maintenance and access.
Naidu feels that there is an assumption that charging reform was focused on major infrastructure projects and huge amounts of spending when it was most of it was about addressing “last mile” issues and local infrastructure pinch points, such as bridges.
Engagement “has been pretty constructive, really, once we started breaking things down”, Naidu says.
Meanwhile, operators will not be the sole source of information, with the process looking to understand needs of customers and supply chains as these often guided route choices.
On criticism that the thrust of charging reforms lumbers industry with an issue bound up by dysfunctional government structures, Naidu says the reform was “not just government sorting itself out”.
While industry wants greater access so it can operate more effectively, that has stalled because access investment doesn’t respond to its needs.
“To make this work, everybody has to change,” Naidu says.
