Page 355 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 20 February 1990
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MR SPEAKER: Is it the wish of the Assembly to debate this order of the day concurrently with order of the day No. 3, the Motor Traffic (Amendment) Bill 1990? There being no objection, that course will be followed. I remind members that in relation to order of the day No. 2 they may also address their remarks to order of the day No. 3. Just before we proceed, I draw Mr Whalan's attention to standing order 40, the only one that he seems to have neglected to read.
MRS NOLAN (9.04): Mr Speaker, I would like to add my support for the Motor Vehicles (Dimensions and Mass) Bill. Although new to the ACT, legislation imposing dimensions and mass limitations on heavy vehicle transport operations has been in force throughout Australia for many years. There is now a strong expectation in the local freight and passenger transport industry that the new limits will be implemented in the near future. As a result of consultation and discussions with the industry, many operators are already looking to reorganise their operational arrangements and alter their vehicle requirements. Consequently, it is important for local operators that uncertainties over the introduction of this new legislation are resolved quickly so that they can plan for the future.
I appreciate that the transport industry has concerns with this legislation because it is something new for the Territory. In particular, operators want to know what the new limits will be and how they will be enforced. The Motor Vehicles (Dimensions and Mass) Bill adopts national standards for limiting the width, length, height and, most importantly, the weight of vehicles and the loads that they carry.
The Bill anticipates moves towards national uniformity by embracing nationally agreed maximum limits without compelling operators to obtain expensive permits to achieve those limits, as has occurred in some other jurisdictions. Proposed standards are consistent with those in New South Wales and Victoria and those imposed under the Federal interstate registration scheme. Consequently, interstate and other regional operators are already familiar with the proposed ACT requirements, and the majority of local operators would have some broad knowledge of them.
Extensive consultations have been held with different sectors of the industry, including the Transport Workers Union of Australia and the Confederation of Australian Industry, to advise them of the proposed standards, to seek their views on problems and solutions and to assist in establishing enforcement procedures that everyone will easily understand. This process will continue during the implementation phase not only to ensure that all sectors of the transport industry understand their obligations but also to allow inspectors enforcing the limits to correct any difficulties with implementation procedures.
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