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.
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.