ALRTA News – 21 October 2016

BEAUREPAIRES IPAD AUCTION – CURRENT BID AT $500!

Beaurepaires has generously donated Apple iPads to raise funds for each State Association.

The Livestock Transporters Association of Tasmania (LTAT) have put their iPad Air 2 (16GB, WiFi and cellular) up for online auction. Don’t miss this chance to grab an amazing piece of technology! These models fetch well over $600 retail – so what are you waiting for?

          

Please email your bid and details to sponsors@alrta.org.au before 3 November 2016. The winning bid will be announced in ALRTA News on 4 November.

You can check on the current highest bid on our website homepage.  All bids are exclusive of GST.

Apple iPad features:

  • 16GB
  • WiFi and cellular
  • 7-inch (diagonal) Retina display with antireflective coating
  • A8X second-generation chip with 64-bit desktop-class architecture
  • Touch ID fingerprint sensor
  • 8-megapixel iSight camera with 1080p video
  • 2-megapixel FaceTime HD camera
  • 11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO
  • Faster 4G LTE
  • Up to 10 hours of battery life
  • Two Speaker Audio

ALRTA NATIONAL COUNCIL MEETS IN CANBERRA

The ALRTA National Council met in Canberra on Friday this week for our last meeting of 2016.

Some of the key issues discussed include: effluent strategy; expiring fatigue notices; user-pay infrastructure; bobtail driving; low volume access; a national animal welfare policy; 2017 National Conference and management of our sponsorship arrangements.

The National Council will next meet on 16 February 2017, in Toowoomba, QLD.

INVESTIGATIVE AND ENFORCEMENT POWERS

Interested parties have been invited to make submissions on ways to improve Australia’s Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) and Chain of Responsibility (CoR) laws.

Chief Executive of the National Transport Commission (NTC) Paul Retter said Australia’s transport ministers had requested the NTC to examine whether the agencies charged with enforcing the HVNL have the appropriate investigative and enforcement powers, including sanctions, to meet the objectives of the law.

“Australia needs to have laws that keep all road users safe,” Mr Retter said.

“As part of that we need to make sure police and other authorised officers have the right legal powers to enforce those laws.

“Of course we also need to make sure that these powers provide a sensible balance between the needs of regulators and rights of individuals.”

This review is driven by feedback by road transport and enforcement agencies’ about the complexity of the existing investigative and enforcement powers provisions, and the additional information gathering power proposed as part of the CoR reforms approved by ministers in November 2015 and as set out in the Heavy Vehicle National Law and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2016 (Qld) currently before parliament.

More information including a copy of the discussion paper is available here.

Submissions can be made until 4pm, Friday 9 December 2016 via the NTC’s website.

The ALRTA will examine the proposals and respond as appropriate.

THANKING OUR NATIONAL SPONSORS

The ALRTA thanks our National Sponsors Beaurepaires, BP and PACCAR Parts for their generous support of our National Member Drive which ran from 5 August – 5 October 2016.

During the special offer period, 38 new members joined our family of State Associations, pushing our total membership over 800 for the first time in our 31 year history!

All new members and their referrers should receive their $350 rewards pack in the next two weeks.

If you are expecting a pack but do not receive it, please contact your state association or Tanya in our National Secretariat on (02) 6247 5434 or sponsors@alrta.org.au.

                                

MINISTERIAL COUNCIL TO MEET IN PERTH

The Transport and Infrastructure Council brings together Commonwealth, State, Territory and New Zealand Ministers with responsibility for transport and infrastructure issues, as well as the Australian Local Government Association.

ALRTA National Vice President, Stephen Marley, will observe the Ministerial Council when it meets in Perth on 4 November 2016.   It is expected that key issues will include charging, national registration options and HVNL reform.

REMINDER: CHAIN OF RESPONSIBILITY SURVEY

The NHVR is working with all parties in the logistics supply chain to help them understand their Chain of Responsibility (CoR) obligations under the Heavy Vehicle National Law.

On 12 September 2016, NHVR launched an online survey targeted at the logistics supply chain.  The survey has been extended until 31 October and will help NHVR build a national picture of industry’s understanding and attitudes to CoR.

All survey responses are anonymous and will help NHVR develop information and education packages tailored to each role in the supply chain.

You can find the survey here: www.nhvr.gov.au/CoRsurvey

You can find NHVR fact sheets on chain of responsibility here:

  • CoR Fact sheet 1 – It’s everyone’s business (PDF, 180KB) – Under chain of responsibility (CoR), all parties who have control or influence over the transport task are deemed responsible for complying with and for breaches of our road laws. All parties must take all reasonable steps to prevent breaches of mass, dimension, loading, speed and fatigue laws.
  • CoR Fact sheet 3 – Managing fatigue risks (PDF, 235KB) – Here are five common CoR risks for operators managing driver fatigue and how to address them. These are simple, no- or low-cost steps that any operator can take to make their operations safer and meet their COR obligations.