Logistics News

ALC calls out approach to infrastructure security Bill

More consultation needed, as ‘lazy’ proposed legislation seen as too blunt

 

The Australian Logistics Council (ALC) is registering acute disquiet at how the deferral government is proceeding with critical infrastructure legislation.

The peak body calls for additional time to allow the proper identification of which additional freight and logistics assets are to be made subject to the new law.

The Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Bill 2020, currently before Parliament allows the federal government to make rules imposing reporting obligations on, amongst others, operators of intermodal facilities, as well as critical freight services assets including Toll Group, Aurizon, DHL Global Forwarding and Linfox.

The federal government’s proposed definition rules will impose reporting obligations on national logistics providers with an annual revenue threshold of over $150 million as well as the operators of 49 identified intermodal models, the ALC points out.

“Imposing reporting obligations on companies on the basis of revenue alone is lazy, as many companies provide services or do things not directly related to movement of critical freight – which is the information that governments wants,” ALC interim CEO Rachel Smith says. 

“Further consultation is required with industry to define what is critical infrastructure and avoid a ‘catch all’ scenario that  fails the ‘minimising of regulatory impost’ test the federal government says it is using to develop the rules.”


Read about the ALC’s response to the TMM communique, here


The ALC points out that its members have also said that some of the intermodals identified are not of strategic importance, whilst other key assets are not captured.

“It will still take some time for the legislation to pass Parliament,” Smith says.

“However, the government has set an artificially early deadline to finalise rules for a law that doesn’t yet exist.

“So the vital security interests of Australia are protected, the Government should take the time to get the legislative package right without imposing unnecessary red-tape on business.”

The Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Bill 2020 can be found here.

The definition rules can be found here.

 

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