Adelaide owner drivers will be able to have their say on the devastating effects of the former Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal’s payments order, with the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) holding an industry consultation session in Adelaide tomorrow.
The session is part of the ASBFEO’s inquiry into the effects of the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal’s Contractor Driver Minimum Payments Road Safety Remuneration Order 2016.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Trucking Association, Christopher Melham, said the RSRT’s price-fixing order placed a tremendous burden on small trucking businesses, without any safety benefits to show for it.
“This order put the fundamental viability of our industry under threat. Owner drivers were losing their livelihoods and family businesses were folding under the pressure of this unfair, two-tier payment system,” Mr Melham said.
“Owner drivers and small trucking businesses right across Australia stood up and said this wasn’t right. As a result of the industry’s massive grassroots campaign, the RSRT was abolished on 18 April 2016.
“However, it’s essential the spectre of the RSRT can’t come back to haunt small trucking operators. I encourage Adelaide owner drivers to participate in the ASBFEO’s consultation session, and make sure your experiences with the RSRT are heard.”
Mr Melham said the removal of the RSRT remained a key issue for the trucking industry in the lead up to the federal election.
“In this federal election, the ATA is calling for all political parties and candidates to confirm they would not re-establish the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal, or any similar price-fixing mechanism,” Mr Melham said.
“The trucking industry’s safety record has improved dramatically. The rate of fatal articulated truck crashes fell by 80 per cent between 1982 and 2015, despite the enormous growth in the number of trucks on the road.
“Even one accident on our roads is one too many. However, fixing prices will not deliver safety gains.
“Instead, the ATA is calling for political parties and candidates to commit to practical safety measures to help everyone share the road safely, such as mandating truck and trailer stability control.”
The ASBFEO’s Adelaide consultation session will be held on Thursday 9 June 2016 from 9 – 11 am at the Parks Recreation and Sports Centre, 46 Cowan Street, Angle Park, Adelaide. For more information, visit http://www.asbfeo.gov.au/consultation/impact-rsrt-payments-order.
The ATA’s election fact sheets on the RSRT and practical safety measures are available at www.truck.net.au/election.
