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Minister for Employment weighs in on Road Safety Remuneration Order

Michaelia Cash, the Minister for Employment (pictured), will introduce legislation to ensure the Road Safety Remuneration Order is not implemented before 1 January 2017.

"This is a priority for the Government as owner-drivers are the lifeblood of the economy. Anything which threatens their viability will have significant implications across the country – this is not something we will tolerate," Minister Cash said.

The Minister will win a few hearts with those words, but to meet her promise, that the new legislation will be introduced in the week commencing 18 April, the Bill still has to run the gauntlet of passage – all in Malcolm's 'come-back-from-holidays' sitting of Parliament.

And there is perhaps a little too much crowing going on in the road transport industry since NatRoad stalled the April 4 implementation of the RSRO by attaining a stay order in the Federal Court in Brisbane.

While cause for celebration, the party probably should be kept to a six pack. Too early yet to pop the bubbly.

NatRoad did some quick and fancy legal footwork to win the stay order, at least buying some time to sort out the sorry mess imposed on road transport by the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal.

However the Order brought down by Justice Collier also gave 'all affected parties' the liberty to apply to the court on two days' notice in writing (section 2), making the Federal Court Order vulnerable to further legal argument, at any time.

The TWU moved quickly last Saturday (2 April) to block the stay order by applying to the Federal Court for an order to set aside Justice Collier's decision. The Union's application has not yet been heard.

So best to keep the cork in the champers for a while yet, but things are certainly looking better than at three o'clock on the afternoon of April Fools Day.

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