A long line of trucks, including some bearing the brands of some of Australia’s biggest transport operators, rolled into Canberra on Saturday with a message for the country’s politicians
Fears for the future viability of Australia’s transport industry brought truck drivers, employees, union representatives and industry associations together in Canberra on August 5 to push for industry reform.
Operators and drivers from throughout Australia were on hand as part of a series of convoys organised by the Transport Workers Union (TWU).
Those involved in this year’s event included operators Global Express, Toll, Linfox, Bevchain, ACFS, FBT Transwest, and transport associations including NatRoad, Australian Road Transport Industrial Organisation (ARTIO), and the National Road Freighters Association (NRFA).
Their mission was to lobby politicians to vote in favour of legislated reform including the recent commitment by the Federal Government to empower the Fair Work Commission to set enforceable standards in transport to make the industry safer, fairer and more sustainable.
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Trucks rolling through Brisbane on Saturday spreading the message of transport reform
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ARTIO Secretary Peter Anderson says common concerns have brought the industry together.
“The industry has come together like never before because we share the same frustrations, we have the same fears for the future of transport, and we know this reform committed by the Federal Government would unlock the industry’s potential,” Anderson says.
“Employers and workers alike know that transport supply chains have lost accountability, productivity and are becoming progressively more dangerous.
“Operators are closing their doors, and workers are leaving the industry, or worse dying on the road.
“The gig economy’s entrance and rapid expansion only spells further doom for our essential industry. We urgently need transport reform passed into law to give all industry participants a fighting chance.”
Anderson’s thoughts were mirrored by fellow industry association spokespeople.
NRFA Board Member Gordon Mackinlay and former transport fleet owner says conditions are dire.
“In 2016, I was one of the owner drivers leading a convoy to Canberra to get the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal abolished,” Mackinlay says.
“Since then, our industry has been overlooked and things have got worse.
“I have experienced firsthand what the lack of standards in transport can do to an owner operator.
“In 2019, I sold my trucks and went back to being a mechanic. Today, I’m joining a convoy calling for reform. I want the industry to be viable and make full time driving attractive again. There are dozens of others like me. That’s why we need reform, and we need it now.”
For NatRoad CEO Warren Clark, reform cannot come quickly enough.
“Our industry is at a critical point. We need wide-ranging and sensible change that bolsters our viability, builds productivity and enhances safety for everyone,” Clarke says.
“As a point of principle, we support measures to ensure the safe performance of work, as long as they are evidence-based and able to be practically implemented in the workplace.”
TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine says a spate of transport operator closures, and a growing death toll of drivers reflected an industry in turmoil.
“This industry convoy is about showing Federal Parliament that transport is beyond breaking point and the solution is soon to be on the table before them,” Kaine says.
“Transport operators like Scott’s Refrigerated Logistics, Rivet Mining Services, Milkrun and 325 others have collapsed over the last year under the strain of uncommercial contracts, untrammelled supply chain pressures and unfair competition from gig models like AmazonFlex.
“People are being slaughtered on our roads under the deadly commercial pressures that lead to unrealistic deadlines, delayed vehicle maintenance, and staying on the road too long.
“Already this year, 132 people have been killed in truck crashes, including 34 truck drivers. A further two transport gig workers have been killed – and there may be more that have fallen through the cracks of underreporting.
“This is an industry in utter disrepair. Federal Parliament will soon be asked to give this industry the regulatory lifeline it needs, and the hundreds of workers, employers and industry groups participating in this convoy are asking them to pass transport reform into law without delay.”
To read more on some of the proposed reforms, click here: https://www.dewr.gov.au/2023-workplace-reform-consultations/resources/employee-forms-work-consultation-paper