Freight Council says greater focus needed to secure national regulations after a report claimed the reforms could miss implementation date
February 6, 2012
The South Australian Freight Council says greater focus is needed to secure national transport regulations after a report claimed the reforms could overshoot their implementation date.
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Reform Council’s report card last week stated a number of unresolved issues were putting the January 1, 2013 timeframe at risk.
A national set of regulations is due to replace the existing multitude of regulations in the trucking, rail and maritime sectors, and the Freight Council’s CEO, Neil Murphy, says “a much more focussed effort” from stakeholders is needed to make it happen.
“The SA Freight Council urges all industry stakeholders to continue to work together in a more focussed and direct environment to ensure all the reforms are introduced in the timeframes already set,” Murphy says.
“The implementation of the national regulators is critical to the development of the industry, and the enhancement of productivity in the sector which will benefit all industries and consumers.”
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) will be responsible for enforcing trucking regulations and will be based in Queensland.
Murphy says the council is willing to work with governments to make sure the national reforms are a success.
“Recent studies have shown that productivity growth in the transport sector has ground to a halt, and urgent action and reform is needed to ensure that the transport sector and its customers and consumers in general remain competitive,” he says.
The COAG Reform Council recommended governments introduce interim milestones between January and December 2012 to guide the development of national regulations.
Australian Logistics Council Managing Director Michael Kilgariff labelled the report’s findings a “wake-up call” for stakeholders.