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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER TO ADDRESS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
The ALRTA and LRTAWA are pleased to announce that the Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Warren Truss MP, will address delegates at our joint National / State Conference to be held in Bunbury WA 3-4 July 2015.
It is the ALRTA’s 30th anniversary in 2015 and I am delighted that the Deputy Prime Minister Truss will be there to help us celebrate. It would be great to see you there too!
Your national association has done some great work over the years and we are currently gearing up to launch some fantastic new initiatives to coincide with the conference – stay tuned for more information closer to the event.
NATIONAL RAMP GUIDELINES – PREPARING FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION
The ALRTA Ramps Working Group has met several times recently to finalise our draft National Guidelines for Loading Ramps and Forcing Yards ahead of a public consultation phase. We have agreed on the textural content and have been busy sourcing supporting photos of facilities from around the country.
The Principal Veterinary Officer in Victoria, Dr David Champness, has agreed to independently review the guidelines over the next couple of weeks. At this critical stage it will be immensely useful to have an expert set of eyes run over the document – someone who hasn’t yet been involved in its development.
All going well, we aim to commence public consultation in early May and launch a final product at our national conference.
DISCUSSIONS ON EXPORT FACILITY RECEIVAL ARRANGEMENTS
Next week, Graeme Howell (LRTAV) and I will meet with representatives from the Federal Department of Agriculture in Canberra to discuss options for improving after hours receival arrangements at facilities accumulating livestock for export.
While the Minister for Agriculture, the Hon Barnaby Joyce MP, has made it very clear that the government does not intend to regulate facility opening / closing times, he is most certainly concerned about the welfare issues that arise when animals are not able to be unloaded on arrival.
The Minister has directed his Department to consult with supply chain stakeholders with the aim of reaching agreement on voluntary protocols that can be applied during the short receival window. We will be pressing our case on the urgent need for more reasonable receival options.
REMINDER: HAVE YOUR SAY ON ADVANCED BRAKING TECHNOLOGIES
ALRTA members are invited to have their say on truck/trailer advanced braking systems by filling out a new survey by the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.
The survey focuses on your experience of different advanced braking systems, and will be used to help develop future ADRs in this area. It is a unique opportunity to share your knowledge of how these systems can be implemented in a trucking business as well as any operational issues you have experienced.
Whether you have fitted advanced braking systems or not, your feedback is important to ensure the survey provides a strong representation of the entire industry.
Both operational and maintenance considerations will be included in the survey, and members are encouraged to send the link to additional staff if required. The survey can be filled out multiple times.
The department estimates that it will take 15 – 20 minutes to complete the survey. Their privacy policy is available on the first page.
Take the survey now https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/vss_DIRD_survey .
IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS
Our National Council will meet in Melbourne on Friday next week. Members interested in observing the meeting can contact the ALRTA Secretariat for details.
The first meeting of the NHVR Livestock and Rural Transporters Industry Operations Group will be held in Brisbane on 14 May 2015. This is an excellent opportunity for all of our association State Presidents to interface directly with the NHVR’s senior management and to articulate the priorities of our industry sector.
Our National President, Mr Grant Robins, will observe the 3rd meeting of the Transport and Infrastructure Ministerial Council in Sydney on Friday, 22 May 2015.