ALRTA News – 17 May 2019

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USE YOUR VOTE WISELY

It has been a roller coaster year in Federal politics that has included leadership changes, defections and surprise by-election results.  Just four weeks ago a Labor Federal Election victory looked all but certain.


Photo (L-R): Treasurer Frydenburg and Mat Munro.

However, polls have continued to tighten in marginal seats across the country.  If Labor do win, it may only a small majority.  It is now also possible that the Coalition could narrowly hang on to power, or we could find ourselves with a hung parliament.

If a hung Parliament does occur, by convention, the previous Government will have the first opportunity to seek the support of independents to form a new government.

Only half of the Senate is subject to election on Saturday, so it is highly likely that cross-bench Senators will retain the balance of power. Two Centre Alliance Senators and Pauline Hanson have already stated they will oppose most Labor’s tax reforms which could make life difficult for Labor even if they do manage to form government.


Photo (L-R): David Smith and Anthony Albanese.

ALRTA has been preparing for a Federal Election since late 2018.  Some of the key politicians that we have met with over the past six months include:

  1. The Office of the Prime Minister
  2. Deputy Prime Minister – Michael McCormack
  3. Treasurer – Josh Frydenberg
  4. Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources – David Littleproud
  5. Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources – Richard Colbeck
  6. Assistant Minister for Roads and Transport – Scott Buchholz
  7. Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism & Investment – Mark Coulton
  8. Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport & Regional Development – Anthony Albanese
  9. Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry – Joel Fitzgibbon
  10. Shadow Minister for Road Safety – Glenn Sterle

This is a crucial election for road transport and small business. The ALRTA is staunchly apolitical and will never tell you how to vote.  We do however suggest that you vote in an informed manner taking into account your family, business and regional community.  To assist, a snapshot of the key policies of the two major parties is provided below.

Issue Coalition Labor
Road Transport Abolished the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal which set mandatory minimum payment rates and conditions for owner drivers. Will quickly re-establish a new authority to set mandatory minimum payment rates and conditions for owner drivers.
Live Exports Will increase regulation of live exports. Will phase out live sheep exports by sea but remain committed to continuation of cattle exports.
Small Business For businesses with an annual turnover of less than $50m:

  • Tax rate reduced to 27.5 percent (2019-20);
  • Tax rate reduced to 25 percent (from 2021-22);

Extension of the instant asset write-off until June 2020 for assets up to $30,000 and expanding access to businesses with a turnover up to $50 million.

For unincorporated businesses with a turnover of less than $5 million, there will be a tax discount of 16%.

Will reduce tax rate to 25% for businesses with a turnover of less than $50m.

Will introduce an Australian Investment Guarantee, which will allow businesses to deduct 20% of any new eligible asset worth more than $20,000.

Personal Taxation Personal tax relief by:

  • Increasing the 19% threshold from $41,000 to $45,000 (2022-23); and
  • Reducing the 32.5% marginal tax rate to 30% (2024-25).

Increased tax off-set for low and middle income earners.

Will reverse the Coalitions tax cuts.

Will extend the increased tax off-set for low and middle income earners.

Will impose a budget repair levy of 2% on incomes above 180,000.

Other Taxation No changes. Abolition of negative gearing for existing properties.

Halving of capital gains tax discount.

Abolition of franking credit refunds.

Will reduce non-concessional superannuation contribution limits.

Will limit deductions for tax accounting to $3,000 annually.

Infrastructure $100bn infrastructure spend over 10yrs, including:

  • $5.5bn for fast rail.
  • $4.0bn Urban Congestion Fund.
  • $2.2bn Road Safety Package.
  • $4.5bn for Roads of Strategic Importance.
Significant spending but more focussed on rail and urban congestion.
Other Policies Increased spending on TAFE, pre-school care and first homebuyers guarantees. Increased spending on schools, childcare, hospitals, dental, TAFE, affordable housing, emissions targets and cancer treatment.

Will restore Sunday and public holiday penalty rates and lift the minimum wage to a ‘living wage’.

VISIT ALRTA AT BRISBANE TRUCK SHOW 

Members and guests are invited to visit the ALRTA and our state association representatives at the 2019 Brisbane Truck Show.

You can find us at booth 3, located in the foyer area of the ‘Industry Hub’.

Please let others know anyone who visits our stand and subsequently signs up for membership with one of our six state associations will be sent a free overnight bag and toiletries bag courtesy of BP!

HELPING RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

The overwhelming majority of Australian livestock market truckwash facilities participate in a program to support research and innovation within the livestock transport and saleyard industry sectors. This system operates at some 110 saleyard truckwashes throughout the country with the majority, but not all, participating in a ‘user pay’ 2% levy on truckwash charges which livestock transport operators incur when they use these facilities.

The principal features of the LSRI program are:

  • A 2% user pay levy is added to truckwash charges paid by livestock transporters whenever facilities at participating truckwashes are used
  • Net returns from the levy are distributed equally to relevant national industry sectors to contribute to appropriate research and related work
  • No costs are imposed on saleyard or council operations as National Truckwash System (NTS) keyholders pay this levy as a condition for use of their truckwash access key.
  • Regardless of whether a truckwash facility charges or does not charge the levy, its revenue will be exactly the same; the levy is an additional charge collected by the NTS agency and paid direct to LSRI.

LSRI levy revenue exclusively contributes to support the work of:

  • Australian Livestock & Rural Transporters Association
  • Australian Livestock Markets Association
  • Australian Livestock Saleyards Association.

It has supported projects such as:

  1. Development of the guidelines for the design of loading/unloading ramps including the construction of a demonstration facility providing safer, better handling operations
  2. Development of an Industry Code of Practice for Effluent Management including the construction of a demonstration site for effluent management and control
  3. Development of National Ramp Standards
  4. Development of industry animal welfare standards
  5. Development of an Australian Model Code of Practice for Livestock Saleyards and Lairages
  6. Introduction of Fatigue Management Flexibility via Animal Welfare Notices which provide an extra one hour of driving time; personal exemption to drive a prime mover (unhitched to any trailers) for an extra hour
  7. Load Restraint Guides
  8. Development of proposed improvements to National Vendor Declaration guidelines
  9. Development of online WHS training programs for saleyard operations.

Any support which you can provide to encourage greater truckwash participation in this program will assist to further the development of all elements of livestock transport and saleyard operations.

Sites which currently do not participate (as at May 2019) or have not committed to participate are Braidwood, Cooma, Coonamble, Cootamundra, Cowra, Gloucester, Grafton, Gunnedah, Hillston, Kempsey, Moree, Narrabri, Powranna, Quirindi, Singleton, Wagga Wagga and West Wyalong.

What is particularly disappointing is that the livestock transport industry though its national and state associations has been prominent in negotiating with federal and state governments to deliver programs which directly financed upgrades of truckwash facilities. The $10 million Fixing Country Truckwashes program which was jointly funded by the NSW and Commonwealth would not have happened without the intense support of the livestock transport industry.

Under this program 50% of the truckwash sites listed previously were able to upgrade their facilities. Yet they remain outside the LSRI levy arrangement.

Similarly, the construction of the Powranna truckwash was jointly funded by Tasmania and Commonwealth. The efforts of the livestock transport industry were instrumental in securing funding for this $0.5 million facility.

As a livestock transporter you can help by emphasise the contribution that this levy, which costs the truckwash operator nothing, makes towards the development of better and safer saleyard and transport operations whenever you talk to the truckwash operators or the local government representatives who are usually the owners of these facilities. If you are prepared to pay the levy why won’t they participate by authorising its collection?

After they give the green light, they need do nothing as all the work is done through the National Truckwash System with every cent collected directed to the national livestock transporters and saleyards associations.

FIX TRUCK LAWS TO SAVE FAMILIES $400

The next Australian Government must fix the national truck laws – and save families more than $400 per year, the CEO of the Australian Trucking Association, Ben Maguire, said today.

Mr Maguire was releasing a new report from Deloitte Access Economics about the economic benefits of improved regulation in the Australian trucking industry.

“In the eastern states and South Australia, trucking operators are regulated by the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL), which determines the trucks we can use and the access permissions that are required,” Mr Maguire said.

“In 2011, it was predicted that the law would deliver up to $12.4 billion in economic benefits.

“This devastating independent report shows that the law has failed. It shows that the productivity of the transport, postal and warehousing sector has fallen every year since the law came into force in 2014.

“We need the next Australian Government to support measures to improve the industry’s productivity, including:

  • streamlining the issue of road access permits
  • establishing an external, independent review process for access applications
  • linking road funding to improving access for high productivity trucks.

“The benefits of these reforms would be considerable. According to the report, fixing the law would:

  • save the trucking industry $1.8 billion a year by 2050
  • reduce vehicle operating costs by 3.7 per cent
  • reduce the costs of Australian industries by $900 million a year
  • save a typical Australian household more than $400 per year on their everyday household purchases.

“The next Australian Government must press on with the current review of the HVNL and the Productivity Commission review of the economic impact of the COAG national transport reforms.

“There needs to be substantial reform, not just tweaking or promises of future action. At the same time, however, the vital safety reforms that came into force in 2018 must be preserved,” Mr Maguire said.

The ATA commissioned the Deloitte Access Economics report to support its members in providing input to the Heavy Vehicle National Law and Productivity Commission reviews.

Read the Deloitte Access Economics report

NHVR INVESTIGATING COR BREACHES

The NHVR has warned executives of duty holders under the Heavy Vehicle National Law to be aware of their responsibilities under the national Chain of Responsibility laws.

NHVR Statutory Compliance Executive Director Ray Hassall said the NHVR was currently undertaking six investigations of serious offences nationally under the Act, eight months after the new laws started and a further eight cases were being monitored.

“Our investigations are targeted at serious, systemic safety breaches and respond to information gathered through multiple sources, including the NHVR’s Confidential Reporting Line,” Ray said.

“All our current investigations include consideration of the extent to which an executive has satisfied their individual due diligence obligations, in addition to other roles within the supply chain.”

  • Those investigations include the following allegations:
  • Directions to disregard work/rest requirements
  • The absence of a system for managing risks
  • Ineffective driver monitoring systems
  • Poor load restraint practices.

“It’s important that executives make themselves aware of the personal responsibilities associated with their involvement in the heavy vehicle supply chain, and the serious penalties associated with failing to properly discharge them,” Ray said.

Executive officers have an obligation to exercise due diligence to ensure their businesses comply with their requirements under the law. They have to ensure they understand the hazards and risks associated with their transport activities and ensure they devote sufficient resources to implementing processes to eliminating or minimising those hazards and risks.

The NHVR was also actively monitoring supply chain businesses that are working to improve their safety practices. The NHVR is urging all parties in the supply chain to make use of a variety of tools available for operators through the NHVR’s Safety Management System or the Registered Industry Code of Practice.

For more information www.nhvr.gov.au/cor

HAVE YOUR SAY ON NATIONAL SPONSORS

Members are invited to fill out a short survey concerning the ALRTA’s National Sponsor arrangements.

Please click here to participate.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Have you registered for the ALRTA/LRTASA Combined Conference?

Download the Registration Form.