RSRT abolished

Victory for owner drivers as parliament votes to abolish controversial Tribunal

Late last night, the Australian parliament voted to abolish the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT). With the vote, owner drivers and small trucking businesses across Australia have secured a great victory as the devastating payments order will die with the Tribunal.

Chief Executive of the Australian Trucking Association, Christopher Melham, said the decision would save thousands of small businesses.

"The RSRT’s payments order applied a minimum freight rate to owner drivers. As a result, owner drivers were finding themselves unable to compete with the rates offered by other competitors in the marketplace,” Mr Melham said.

"Owner drivers were losing their livelihoods and family businesses were folding under the pressure of this unfair, two-tier payment system.

"Owner operators across Australia stood up and said that this wasn’t right. In all states and territories, drivers invested their own time and money to attend rallies, be part of convoys, and approach their local members to fix this appalling situation.

"I’d like to thank the Government and all those independent senators who stood with owner drivers during this dark time. Thanks to their efforts, the RSRT is now a thing of the past, and its funding will be reassigned to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator." Mr Melham concluded.

Senator George Brandis said the tribunal, established by Julia Gillard in 2012, used the pretext of road safety to implement the agenda of the Transport Workers Union. "We have seen the dead hand of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd governments reach out to damage ordinary Australian owner-drivers and to damage the economy through the payments order made by the so-called Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal,” he said.

Infrastructure and Transport Minister Darren Chester (pictured) confirmed the government would redirect more than $4 million a year to the NHVR.

RSRT abolished

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