ALRTA News – 28 October 2016

GENERAL CARRIERS CONTRACT DETERMINATION

ALRTA has written to the NSW Minister Treasurer and Minister for Industrial Relations, the Hon. Gladys Berejiklian MP, outlining our concerns about the NSW General  Carriers Contract Determination (GCCD).

The majority of our membership is exempt from the current interim GCCD.  You are unlikely to be covered if you carry livestock; use a specialised vehicle [e.g. a tipper, tanker, low loader]; go to/from a farm; are engaged by a primary producer; or undertake work for more than one primary contractor.

However, we do still believe that it is important to strongly oppose the slow creep of mandatory minimum rates for owner drivers before the GCCD has another opportunity to further expand coverage.

Our letter provides an overview of our members’ experiences with the RSRT, and highlights the recent finding of the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman’s finding, that:

  • The Inquiry notes future consideration by the NSW Industrial Relations Commission of rates of pay for owner drivers covered by the General Carriers Contract Determination (NSW) should consider the experience of the Payments Order on small businesses. Given the example of the Payments Order and its detrimental impact on owner drivers, the Inquiry strongly discourages the setting of mandated rates of pay that only apply to owner drivers and small businesses.

Specifically, we have asked the NSW Government to restore industry confidence by announcing that it will do whatever is necessary to prevent the expansion of mandatory minimum rates for owner drivers in NSW, either as part of the hearing process, or as part of a separate process that would have the effect of subsequently squashing any adverse decision.

We understand that the parties have now entered conciliation proceedings and that the NSW Industrial Relations Commission may soon issue a decision.

The road transport industry considers that a mandatory code of conduct sanctioned under the Australian Competition and Consumer Act 2010 would be a far more effective and less disruptive mechanism to address imbalances of market power.

ALRTA/LRTAQ JOINT NATIONAL-STATE CONFERENCE

Save the date: The joint ALRTA/LRTAQ National Conference will be held in Toowoomba on 17-18 February 2017. Highlights will include an informative conference program, exciting social events and the spectacular Bull Carters Ball. Registration forms will be available in mid November.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE

Opportunities are available for women in the Agriculture sector to access up to $8,000 in scholarship funding to assist them to participate in a number of the country’s premier women’s development programs.  The initiative is part of a nationwide push to support and elevate women leaders throughout the Agriculture sector.

Scholarships will be used to assist women leaders to participate in Women & Leadership Australia’s flagship development programs and are available at three management levels:

  • Experienced senior and executive leaders are eligible to apply for an $8,000 partial scholarship to assist their participation in the Advanced Leadership Program.

View the Advanced Leadership Program brochure here

  • Mid-level managers are eligible to apply for a $4,000 partial scholarship to assist their participation in the Executive Ready program.

View the Executive Ready Program brochure here

  • Early career managers are eligible to apply for a $3,000 partial scholarship to assist their participation in the Accelerated Leadership Performance Program.

View the Accelerated Leadership Performance Program brochure here.

To make a scholarship enquiry 
An expression of interest form can be downloaded here.  Please note: Following submission of your expression of interest form a WLA scholarship advisor will make contact to provide further information.

Should you wish to discuss the initiative in more detail please contact Ian Johnson at Women and Leadership Australia’s Head Office on 03 9270 9016 or via ijohnson@wla.edu.au.

PBS REACHES NEW HEIGHTS IN NHVR SNAPSHOT

Approvals for high-performance heavy vehicles reached new heights during July-to-September, according to the latest quarterly data released by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR).

NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto said the Quarterly Snapshot Q1 2016-17 results for the Performance Based Standards (PBS) scheme showed 450 new combinations approved, an 80 per cent increase on the same period in 2015.

“PBS vehicles deliver higher productivity and safety through innovative vehicle design, meaning less trucks and safer vehicles,” Mr Petroccitto said.

“Safer technology, such as braking systems, that also delivers greater productivity outcomes is providing benefits for more than two billion tonnes of freight moved around Australia each year.”

“Truck and dog combinations continue to be the most popular combinations making up more than half of all approvals, followed by semis, B-double and A-double combinations.”

The PBS scheme has been in operation since October 2007 and managed by the NHVR since January 2013.

The NHVR Quarterly Snapshot also showed 7465 heavy vehicle permit applications, a slight reduction in the number of applications, compared to the record levels (7591) of the previous quarter.

The National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation scheme, which provides flexibility for operators that demonstrate robust safety management systems, was up slightly on the 2015-16 result – 6231 accredited operators, compared to 6188 in 2015-16.

“I was also pleased to see that local government road managers are continuing their recent record of turning around permit applications quickly, despite the increase in requests from heavy vehicle operators in many areas,” Mr Petroccitto said.

“Tasmanian local road managers led the way with 4.8 days per consent, followed by South Australian and Victorian local road managers.

“We’ve been working closely with local councils and their peak bodies across Queensland, NSW and South Australia to increase awareness of the types of heavy vehicles and their impact on local roads.

“This includes a PBS demonstration day which was held in Bundaberg and one to come in Toowoomba, a local government forum hosted by the peak council associations in NSW and Queensland, and the release of the final two videos in our Local Government in Focus series.”

The Q1 2016-17 Quarterly Snapshot, including state-by-state heat maps and data is available at www.nhvr.gov.au/resources/publications.

BEAUREPAIRES/APPLE iPAD AUCTION

  

There is still time to bid on an IPad and help out our Tasmanian Association at the same time.

Check out our website for the details and the current highest bid.