ALRTA News – 14 December 2018

CUMMINS 

See the difference and save.

The latest issue of The Genuine Difference is out now!

Save up to 25% off Cummins and Fleetguard products and read the latest news about your favourite Cummins’ parts and service products.

Learn more here: https://cummins.com.au/parts/promotions.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING FOR ROAD FREIGHT

The Australian Government has passed legislation extending the Taxable Payment Reporting System (TPRS) to road freight.  The TPRS is a tax integrity measure intended to capture the black economy.

Effective from 1 July 2019, businesses with an ABN must report to the Commissioner of Taxation any payments made to a contractor who supplies a road freight service on your behalf. Reporting is via a Taxable Payments Annual Report.

For the purposes of the TPRS:

  • ‘Road freight’ includes transportation of freight by road, the renting of trucks with drivers for road freight transport and road vehicle towing services; and
  • ‘Transportation of freight by road’ is the transport by road of goods, wares, merchandise, material or any thing whether in its raw state or natural state, wholly or partly manufactured state or of a solid, liquid or gaseous nature or otherwise, and/or livestock.

The ATO has published a draft ruling for comment.

If you have any comments, please contact the ALRTA Secretariat by 19 January 2019.

INFRASTRUCTURE MILESTONES 

As 2018 draws to a close it is nice to see some progress on long-running infrastructure projects.

Firstly, LRTAQ President Ian Wild was pleased to attend the opening of the Cranley to Athol section of the second Toowoomba Range crossing.


Photo: LRTAQ President Ian Wild on site for the section opening.  

Meanwhile, down south in Tasmania, the new truck wash at Powranna has been put to the test.  Five years in the making and the culmination of a successful grant funding application, it is great to see the new site in action!


Photo: Testing at Powranna begins!

ALRTA is also delighted to announce that our user-pay ProWay Crate P.A.L. has been fabricated in Wagga Wagga, transported, unloaded and constructed at the host site.


Photo: The ProWay Crate P.A.L. under construction. 

Unlike other ProWay crate P.A.L.’s which swing in and out alongside the trailer from a pivot point at the ramp base, this ‘first-of-its-kind’ design has been modified to roll in and out while remaining parallel to the vehicle.  This will provide clear access for incoming vehicles when retracted.

Concrete will be laid during the Christmas shut-down period to ensure a smooth rolling surface.  Look out for an announcement about the host site and trial details in early 2019.

ROADSIDE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL

On the topic of infrastructure, LRTAQ and ALRTA representatives met with QLD Transport and Main Roads in Toowoomba this week to consider a short-list of site options for locating Australia’s first roadside effluent disposal facility.

Our representatives at the meeting included:

  • Ian Wild (LRTAQ President)
  • Fiona Wild (ALRTA Treasurer)
  • Graeme Hoare (LBRCA Vice President)
  • Mark Collins (LRTAQ Delegate)
  • Mathew Munro (ALRTA Executive Director)
  • Sue Davies (ALRTA Project Officer)

The Australian Government has provided $400,000 funding to ALRTA under the Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative to construct the pilot project in South East QLD.

Look out for more detail on this landmark meeting next week!

HVIA EXECUTIVE CLUB

ALRTA Executive Director, Mathew Munro, attended a gathering of the Heavy Vehicle Industry Association (HVIA) Executive Club in Barangaroo, Sydney, NSW.

The event was addressed by NSW Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight, the Hon Melinda Pavey MP, and Partner of law firm King and Wood Mallesons, Adrian Perkins.

A key announcement by Minister Pavey was that legislated changes to the NSW written-off heavy vehicle register will be immediately delayed for 12-months so that industry concerns about potential negative impacts on repairers, insurers and operator premiums can be addressed.

The primary concern is that the NSW scheme will not properly reflect Austroads guidelines for vehicle assessments and will therefore not be nationally consistent.  The changes in NSW would have meant that some damaged vehicles must be written off even though they are safe and economic to repair.

ALRTA welcomes the announcement and thanks Minister Pavey for listening and responding to the very real industry concerns.


Photo: Chair of the HVIA Executive Club, (and NTI CEO), Tony Clarke, thanks NSW Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight, the Hon Melinda Pavey MP. 

ALRTA @ PARLIAMENT HOUSE

Here are couple more photos from the ALRTA’s visit to Parliament House last week.

ALRTA will continue to make sure that your voice is heard during and after the election campaign.


Photo: Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck with LRTASA President David Smith. 


Photo: Senator Barry O’Sullivan with LRTASA President David Smith.

NHVR TO REVIEW NHVAS BUSINESS RULES

The NHVR will undertake a three-month consultation following a review to align the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme (NHVAS) Standards and Rules with the recent changes to Chain of Responsibility laws.

NHVR Executive Director of Productivity and Safety Geoff Casey said consultation on the proposed changes would be conducted through on-line feedback, as well as face-to-face at a series of information sessions.

“The NHVR today wrote to more than 7150 operators in the NHVAS scheme about proposed changes to the Business Rules and Standards for the Mass, Maintenance or Fatigue modules,” Mr Casey said.

“These changes will assist NHVAS participants to meet the recent changes to Chain of Responsibility laws, which require all parties in the supply chain to address the risks of their transport activities.

The NHVAS was first offered to industry in 1999 as an alternative compliance scheme and has evolved as a formal process for recognising operators that have robust safety and other management systems in place. The NHVR has been the single administrator of the scheme since 10 February 2014.

Some of the key reforms proposed for NHVAS include:

  • requirements for crash and incident reporting of major and significant events
  • a register of infringements and defects notices received
  • fit and proper person requirements as part of the assessment criteria
  • maintenance strengthened to now include tow couplings and drawbars.

A detailed overview and summary of changes document has been provided.

“The review seeks to address some of the inconsistencies that currently exist,” Mr Casey said.

“For example, the Advanced Fatigue Management (AFM) Business Rules and Standards have been harmonised into the existing NHVAS Business Rules and Standards – this includes the unification of the two fatigue standards.”

The NHVR will be conducting a series of information sessions across Australia in February and March 2019 to provide further opportunities to discuss the changes and provide feedback directly to the NHVR’s Accreditation team.

Consultation ends on March 31, 2019. More details on the information sessions, proposed changes and Notice of Proposed Rule Making are available at www.nhvr.gov.au/nhvas-review

NTI BACKS BEEF BLOCKCHAIN TRIAL

Australia’s leading specialist insurer NTI is excited to be taking part in a blockchain trial, set to boost food safety, improve animal welfare and monitor export security for Australian beef.

This month, BeefLedger, an Australian integrated provenance, blockchain security and payments platform will deploy a pilot initiative that tracks the paddock-to-plate journey of premium Australian beef, abroad.

NTI’s CEO Tony Clark, says the reasons for backing the trial are varied, but in a snapshot – it is the alignment with NTI’s commitment towards supporting Australian businesses that really “hit home” for the organisation.

“We’re excited by the prospects this presents across several streams of Australian industry: agriculture, animal welfare, transport & logistics,” said Mr. Clark.

“While it’s early stages, we’re optimistic of the outcomes and learning, and what it potentially means for Australian suppliers, exporters and consumers.”

The pilot run will see premium live cattle transported from South Australia’s Limestone Coast to the processing facility at Casino in New South Wales and frozen for shipping to Shanghai, for consumption.

BeefLedger Chairman, Warwick Powell says the rise in wealth across Asia, particularly China, sees a steady growth in demand for imported beef and increased risk of counterfeiting and poor safety standards.

“Research shows us that ethical standards and concerns for animal welfare, along with authenticity and proof of product origin, are amongst the top priorities for Chinese consumers. It’s also what’s driving consumer interest in Australian products,” said Mr. Powell.

BeefLedger is a platform developer and technology integrator, which is rolling out a blockchain technology, packaging innovations, Internet of Things digital system to improve product credentials and supply chain performance. The platform deploys a diverse range of technologies, to create a multi-layered system that delivers enhanced product security and credentialing.

The Australian beef supply chain is integral to the Australian economy, with some 45,000 cattle producers across the country contributing to Australia’s position as the third largest beef exporter in the world.

“We’re committed to being specialists in our market, partnering with experts, and supporting hardworking Australians,” said NTI’s Tony Clark.

“We’re proud to be standing beside BeefLedger and their collaborators, to back this initiative”.

For more information on BeefLedger visit www.beefledger.io.

UPCOMING EVENTS