ALC welcomes TIC freight movement focus

The Australian Logistics Council (ALC) has welcomed the outcomes of the Transport and Infrastructure Council’s (TIC) meeting in Hobart on 10 November, noting that the talks will help achieve meaningful progress on several policy reform priorities important to the nation’s freight logistics industry.
“Today’s discussions covered a number of policy areas that are crucial to enhancing supply chain efficiency and safety, and ensuring the delivery of an effective National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy,” said Ian Murray AM, Chairman, ALC.
“The discussion around heavy vehicle road reform was most encouraging. ALC welcomed the opportunity to advise the meeting that our ongoing conversations with leading industry participants confirm a high degree of support for a fairer road pricing and investment model, where road users pay according to where and when they travel.”
Murray welcomed the decision to commence work on a Council of Australian Governments Regulation Impact Statement (COAG RIS), to assess implementation options for independent price regulation of heavy vehicle charges.
“We similarly support the decision to freeze heavy vehicle access charges at 2017/18 levels for two years, and acknowledge the Council’s agreement on the latest legislative package to deliver improvements to the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL),” he said.
“The meeting’s focus on opportunities to improve freight movement, including national consistency and opportunities for greater investment was heartening.
“In particular, it was pleasing to see the Council specifically acknowledge that measures such as the National Rail Vision and the establishment of single national regulators are essential to improving the performance of our freight networks.”