The Victorian Transport Association’s (VTA) State Conference 2024 has started at Silverwater Resort in Phillip Island where more than 200 delegates have gathered for two days of important talks.
It says the opening sessions have been dominated by discussions on strategies to permanently maintain Victoria’s road network, cybersecurity and associated risks of IT systems being compromised, and the recently passed minimum standards legislation.
VTA CEO Peter Anderson delivered the keynote opening address where he set the tone under the Future Freight Landscapes conference theme in remarks that advocated for a permanent forward-thinking regime for repairing and maintaining Victoria’s road transport network.
“There will never be enough money to fully maintain our roads to the standard that we all want them to be, but the real issue is how do we get the best bang for our buck to keep the roads maintained so it’s not costing operators time and money in repairs and maintenance to heavy vehicles to service our customers using the roads that are available,” says Peter.
“What we’re proposing is that we change the process and forward look towards our road infrastructure being efficient and meeting the standard that we all expect. Those roads need to work, they need to work well, and people need to have confidence to drive and not fear having to slow down from 100 to 60.”
On the issue of cybersecurity, Dr Derek Bopping of the Australian Signals Directorate urged operators not to be complacent on data breaches, despite the transport industry being outside the top 10 sectors to experience breaches.
His keynote presentation detailed the Australian government’s strategies for identifying and mitigating cyber threats.
“And you might draw some comfort to know that the transport logistics industry is not in the top 10 sectors of industries that report to us,” says Dr Bopping. “But I would offer to you that that that there is no reason whatsoever for complacency.”
For more information on the Victorian Transport Association, click here.