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NSW Legislative Assembly passes national regs bill

Both houses of Parliament have now passed bill to put NSW on track to adopt national heavy vehicle regulations on September 1

By Brad Gardner | June 20, 2013

New South Wales is on track to move to national heavy vehicle regulations later this year, with both houses of Parliament passing the Heavy Vehicle (Adoption of National Law) Bill.

The Legislative Assembly yesterday voted in favour of the Bill, which the Legislative Council passed earlier this week.

All sides of politics have expressed support for national regulations, which are due to begin on September 1 and be overseen by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR).

“The national regulator will enable owners and operators to conduct heavy vehicle business with governments in one place,” Granville MP Tony Issa says.

“The one-stop shop will allow registration renewals and the issue of access permits to be coordinated through a single point of contact, thereby cutting down unnecessary costs and time for those operators.”

MP Christopher Gulaptis, whose rural electorate of Clarence is close to the Queensland border, says a single regulatory body imposing uniform laws is a must.

“A good example of where this will be very effective is the Northern Co-operative Meat Company at Casino, which employs approximately 1,000 workers. The meatworks has been struggling to compete with other abattoirs because of inconsistent road laws,” Gulaptis says.

He cited the extra weight afforded to cattle trucks in Queensland over those in NSW for putting the meatworks at a competitive disadvantage.

The Bill will adopt the model Heavy Vehicle National Law. Queensland and Victoria are the only two jurisdictions to date to enact the law.

The Legislative Council passed the Bill on June 18. Roads Minister Duncan Gay says it should reduce regulatory inconsistencies hampering trucking operators, while the Greens hope national regulations will end the practice of forum shopping.

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