Creation of a national rail safety regulator takes a step closer, with legislation passing through South Australia's lower house
April 9, 2012
The creation of a single safety regulator for the rail sector has taken a step closer, with legislation passing through South Australia’s lower house yesterday.
The Rail Safety National Law (South Australia) Bill passed the South Australian House of Assembly, and will now head to the Legislative Council for approval.
Similar to the impending National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, the rail safety regulator will operate nationally and replace seven separate regulatory authorities and 46 pieces of state, territory and Commonwealth legislation.
The regulator will begin in January next year and be based in South Australia. Other jurisdictions are expected to pass legislation once it clears South Australia’s parliament.
“This is a major safety and productivity reform and it shows what can be achieved through cooperation between federal state and territory governments,” federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese says.
“For over 110 years, our railways have been governed by multiple sets of rules and laws and created confusing red tape and duplication. From January 2013, for the first time in Australia’s history, our railways will come under a single safety regulator with one set of national regulations.”
The regulator will have oversight of the country’s urban passenger rail networks and interstate freight operations.
Albanese says operators will be able to receive national accreditation instead of having to apply in each state and territory. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) will become the national investigator of rail accidents.
Governments are also implementing a single regulator for the maritime industry as part of a Council of Australian Governments (COAG) commitment to productivity reform.
“These national transport reforms will boost national income by up to $30 billion over the next 20 years by ending the need for mountains of paperwork and multiple fees on our transport industry,” Albanese says.