ALC welcomes new federal government, but says it needs to work to ensure success of transport reforms
September 8, 2010
The Australian Logistics Council has welcomed the announcement of a new federal government, but says it must work to ensure the success of transport reforms.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard yesterday secured the necessary 76 of 150 seats in the House of Representatives to form government thanks to the support of independents Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott, Andrew Wilkie and Green Adam Bandt.
The ALC has congratulated Gillard and says it looks forward to it renewing its focus on national transport and logistics reform.
“Prior to the election, there were already developing signs that the transport and logistics reform agenda was in real danger of stalling if it didn’t continue to receive strong national leadership,” ALC CEO Michael Kilgariff says.
“National reform is a bit like riding a bike; if one stops pedalling and pushing, the thing falls over and goes nowhere.”
Referring to the different levels of regulation that exist across state and council lines, Kilgariff says the result is “confusing, complex and inconsistent laws with high compliance costs”.
Work is already underway to reduce the compliance burden on the trucking industry through the development of national regulations to be introduced in 2013.
They will be overseen by a heavy vehicle regulator based in Queensland with offices across Australia. Regulators will also be introduced for the rail and maritime sectors.
Government body Infrastructure Australia is also working on a national freight network plan, which Kilgariff hopes will ensure necessary regulatory, infrastructure and investment policies are put in place to meet Australia’s freight needs.
“The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) also needs to continue with capital city strategic planning to take into account issues such as transport corridor, international gateways, intermodal connections; and reservation of appropriate lands to support future expansion,” he says.