PROUD ALRTA NATIONAL PARTNER
PACCAR & Dealer Industry Fund
We’re not all made the same and neither is a Kenworth.
With a huge range of options, a Kenworth can be customised for the driver and the task at hand. Drive something to be proud of, “a truck that’s uniquely yours”.
ALRTA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UPDATE
This week I travelled to Brisbane for the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework (ABSF) Consultation. The session focused on reflections of the Annual Update 2023 and developing a strategic plan for the future of the framework. There was strong industry representation from across the meat supply chain, demonstrating the importance of collaboration. Some interesting facts from the update include:
- Since 2005 there has been a 64.1% reduction in CO2 emissions in the industry
- Live Export mortality rates hit an all time low of 0.05%
- Australia’s largest beef export markets are Japan (26.3%), South Korea (18.6%) and China (16.7%).
Work is currently underway on developing a metric for cattle on domestic transport, this ties in with the work ALRTA has underway with NTI regarding LivestockAssist and ATA on TruckSafe.
I also spent some time with NTI discussing the Effluent Code of Practice and next steps, including developing a training module for operators and how this will interface with the TruckSafe program. Preliminary discussions were held regarding developing a ‘biosecurity truck wash’ standard to ensure all future truck washes are built to standard and there is less duplication of engineering design work nationally. Biosecurity is proving to be an increasingly important issue faced by the livestock industry and this will prove to be a critical piece of work for ALRTA.
NTI also flagged the need to commence work to relaunch LivestockAssist. I will shortly go out to members regarding a working group to progress this initiative.
While in Brisbane I met with representatives from the NHVR. It’s heartening to see that ALRTA is well respected by the NHVR and we are looking to proactively engage on issues affecting the sector. Off the back of feedback from delegates at the LRATV conference, NHVR has been engaging with Victorian members regarding Chain of Responsibility and fatigue management. We can look forward to continuing those discussions.
The Employee-Like Conditions IR reform discussions are progressing with a draft exposure bill, the Closing Loopholes Bill, expected next week. This will kick off a Senate Inquiry to which ALRTA will provide input and feedback regarding the unique environment rural transporters operate in. The intention is to ensure adverse and unintended impacts are limited and to prevent RSRT 2.0 occurring. It is positive to see the discussions between Minister Burke and ATA (representing the broader industry) appear to have been fruitful and has already seen some of the sector’s issues being considered. Watch this space.
This week saw planning kick off for the combined ALRTA / LRTAQ Conference scheduled for March 2024, in Toowoomba. It’s set to be a great event focussed on harnessing digital and other capabilities to support the sector to be the safest and most efficient and effective it can be.
Speaking of QLD, I look forward to seeing some old and new faces at the LRTAQ conference in Townsville on 28 – 29 September. This is proving to be a very popular event and I’ve been reliably informed the Ville is now at capacity. There are other accommodation options nearby, so if you haven’t already done so, please register.
In the background I have been working with the team to understand the systems, processes and ‘administrative’ functions of ALRTA. The ALRTA server this week transitioned from on-premises to SharePoint. This should create efficiencies for the team, whilst increasing our cyber security. The team and I are working on some other initiatives, with more details to come soon.
Thank you for everyone’s support to date and I look forward to engaging on these and many other issues as my tenure continues.
Rachel
NHVR – REGIONAL NSW FORUMS
NHVR is conducting a series of heavy vehicle forums in regional NSW. The presentations are about the NHVR transition in NSW, access, fatigue, chain of responsibility, oversize-overmass movements and more, in a casual setting allowing for interactive questions and discussions.
Next week’s forums will be held in Hillston on 5 September, and Deniliquin and Temora on 7 September. You can find out more and book your attendance here.
HV REST AREA SURVEY – HAVE YOUR SAY!
The Australian Government has set up a committee of truck drivers and road transport industry representatives to set the priorities for where rest areas are needed and what type of facilities they should have. ALRTA member John Beer is a member of the committee that will have input to the expenditure of $140 million over 10 years to build new and upgrade existing rest areas.
An online survey has been set up so that all truck drivers and road users can have their say on what heavy vehicle rest area upgrades are needed. Please take the opportunity to complete the short survey here.
NHVR SAFETY SURVEY – LIVESTOCK SECTOR INSIGHTS
In 2022 NHVR conducted a safety survey. Information about the livestock sector was recently promoted on NHVR’s facebook page.
You can read the Heavy Vehicle Safety Report 2022 in full here.
And access a quick guide to Safety Management Systems (SMS) awareness training here.
SEPTEMBER IS RURAL ROAD SAFETY MONTH
The Australian Road Safety Foundation (ASRF) is promoting Rural Road Safety Month, a national awareness campaign that targets regional and rural road safety throughout September. This national community-based road safety initiative is designed to highlight the additional risks when driving on rural and remote roads across Australia.
Did you know that rural road crashes account for more than 65% of the Australian road toll, and the rate of serious road-related injury in rural areas is nearly twice that of those in major cities?
All road users are encouraged to get involved to help make a significant reduction in road trauma.
With almost two in three road deaths occurring on regional roads, research conducted in 2022 by ARSF has detailed why all Australians have a personal responsibility to take greater action:
- High risk rural roads are used by almost all Australians (91%) at least once a year
- More than a third of drivers utilise regional roads at least once a week
- Personal travel is the number one reason (60%) for driving on regional roads
- Living in the area accounts only for 27% of reasons for driving on regional roads
For more information go to the ARSF website here.
SAVE THE DATES
- LRTAQ – 28-29 September 2023 – The Ville Resort, TOWNSVILLE – QLD
- LBRCA – 23-24 February 2024 – WAGGA WAGGA NSW