Canberra’s view of the trucking road ahead

“The ATA achieved some of its most important outcomes through discussion with Catherine King, her staff and her department,” said Mr Smith.

“The Government will mandate Euro 6 emissions standards for new model trucks from November this year and for all new trucks from November 2025 … very close to the schedule that we proposed.

“We can now operate 2.55-metre-wide trucks, provided they meet a package of safety requirements.

“Thanks to Minister King, our [registration and road user] charges are determined three years at a time, giving us certainty and more time for everyone to think ahead,” concluded Mr Smith.

Minister King began her talk by acknowledging the traditional custodians of this region, the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples.

“It is an absolute pleasure here today to be at Trucking Australia 2024 and your annual conference,” said Minister King.

“I would also like to extend my thanks to all of you who are joining us here today.

“As a minister, I know that good policy does not happen without the full engagement of industry.

“We will not always agree, but having that conversation and that relationship is actually really important.”

The Minister than thanked the ATA for its engagement in recent amendments to the Workplace Relations Law involving closing loopholes reform, including feedback that will ensure minimum standards do not conflict with matters regulated by other laws and ensuring that the Fair Work Commission has regard to the commercial realities of the road transport industry when setting standards.

Catherine King then turned to the issue of road safety and, in particular, the Vision Zero target for 2050: that no one should be killed or seriously injured on our roads by 2050, through the National Road Safety Strategy and Action Plan.

She also co covered the issue of accidents at railway level crossings and trucksales will cover that topic separately.

“You can probably tell me very quickly which are the roads that have had a lack of investment over a period of time,” said Minister King.

“We are investing more money in infrastructure across Australia than has been done before… jointly funding more than 440 major projects across the nation.

“Public sector expenditure on road construction was at $18.8 billion for the 12 months to December 2023 and public expenditure on rail was $13.4 billion – 18 per cent and 17.6 per cent increase on the previous calendar years, respectively.

“For both of these figures, that was the highest level of spending on record.”

Catherine King said that the Government is pursuing an ambitious climate-change agenda, targeting a 43 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2050.

In 2023, heavy vehicles made up a quarter of Australia's transport emissions and with the heavy vehicle freight task projected to grow 26 per cent by 2050, action is needed to cut emissions where possible.

The government is developing a transport and infrastructure net zero roadmap and action plan that will be evidence-based to reduce emissions in the transport and infrastructure sectors.

Heavy vehicle stakeholders have emphasised the following things: The need to set transition milestones, to shift demand away from diesel-powered heavy vehicles; to invest in the roll-out of charging and refuelling infrastructures to support battery and hydrogen fuel-celled electric vehicles and to support the increased use of low-carbon liquid fuels.

Low-carbon liquid fuels could be deployed for larger payloads and distances until the supporting EV charging, refuelling and infrastructure technology is in place. Low-carbon fuels are going to be a very important part of the transition of this sector, as part of the Government’s Made in Australia agenda.

Minister King said that the Government is supporting the demonstration of zero-emissions heavy vehicles through grants and financing, via the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.

Examples include Arc Energy Corporation’s purpose-built hydrogen fuel cell heavy trucks on a 30-kilometre round-trip between Townsville Port and the Sun Metals refinery; Team Global Express’ and Volvo’s 60 electric trucks and Western Australia electrified logistics fleets and local government vehicles.

The Coalition’s spokesperson on road transport matters, Senator Bridget McKenzie, made a reply to Minister King’s speech focussing on the forthcoming May 2024 Budget.

"The Prime Minister and Treasurer Chalmers are currently putting the finishing touches on what may be the last federal budget before the next election," said Senator McKenzie. “It will be an important one for our country and for the future of your industry.

“Over their first two years, (they) have cancelled, cut and delayed more than $25 billion from the infrastructure budget.

“At the same time as the Government's been cutting its funding for infrastructure projects, it's been jacking up the truckies tax that you all pay.

“The case for investment in productivity-enhancing infrastructure is growing, not shrinking.

Bridget McKenzie said she was struck by stories of maintenance bills going through the roof, as a result of shocking road degradation around the country.

“One company that I was speaking with, in regional Victoria, said their maintenance bill had gone into the hundreds of thousands of dollars within a 12-month period,” said Senator McKenzie.

“Of the 72 bridge-renewal projects announced by Labor since their first budget, only eight have commenced.

“Governments have been spinning their wheels - pun intended - on the harmonisation of the National Heavy Vehicle Laws for years and it isn't good enough.

“I can understand the frustration of each and every person in this room on that particular task.

"It makes no sense in 2024 that we have different licensing schemes operating in different states and territories and it is nothing more than ego over practicality.

“As Covid showed, sometimes these borders are arbitrary.

“It is time the Federal Minister … took a leadership role and called all the players that are making these decisions to the table and sat them down and nutted this out.

“Obviously, as a Coalition, we are going to do whatever we can from opposition, to help your industry prosper, to be more sustainable, as we head toward 2050.”