VTA and ARTIO say proposed safe rates tribunal must focus on safety and support other heavy vehicle reforms
February 2, 2012
The Victorian Transport Association (VTA) and the Australian Road Transport Industrial Organisation (ARTIO) want the proposed safe rates tribunal to focus on safety and support other national heavy vehicle reforms.
A parliamentary committee is currently holding an inquiry into the Road Safety Remuneration Bill, which aims to introduce a tribunal within Fair Work Australia to rule on trucking pay rates and conditions.
VTA CEO Phil Lovel and ARTIO National Industrial Relations Advisor Paul Ryan met with VTA members during a special meeting last month to discuss the Bill.
“The freight and logistics industry contributes around 15 percent of Australia’s gross domestic product and we must ensure that road transport operators, whether employers or hirers, are not strangled by additional regulation and the associated costs of compliance with those regulations,” Ryan says.
“The bill must fit squarely within and support the other national heavy vehicle reforms currently underway across all states and territories.”
The ARTIO has lodged a submission to the parliamentary inquiry, which is being overseen by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Communication.