The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has congratulated the NSW and Victorian governments on removing local government supermarket curfews, which will help the trucking industry and supermarkets restock.

The ATA and its member associations collectively represent the 50,000 businesses and 200,000 people in the Australian trucking industry. Together, the ATA and its members are committed to safety, professionalism and viability.

The NSW and Victorian decisions follow similar moves by Queensland and South Australia.

“Our members told us that local government curfews were the single greatest regulatory impediment to restocking Australia’s supermarkets,” ATA CEO Ben Maguire said today.

“The new laws will enable supermarket loading docks to operate 24 hours a day where necessary.

“I want to congratulate the Victorian Transport Association and its CEO, Peter Anderson, on advocating for these reforms in Victoria.

“In NSW, the ATA worked closely with the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Australian Logistics Council and our state association, Road Freight NSW, to emphasise the importance of the reforms,” he said.

Road Freight NSW CEO Simon O’Hara commended the NSW Government for listening to the concerns of the trucking industry and the community.

“Our members out on the road have been telling us that they’ve been delayed for days or even a week at a time. This is certainly going to help ease that pressure on already overstressed truckies,” Mr O’Hara said.

Mr Maguire dismissed the claims by the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) and the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) that delivery curfews were not affecting supermarket stock levels.

“We listen to our members. They know the problems they face on the road. They told us that supermarket curfews are a problem, and we are taking action,” he said.