Page 3774 - Week 12 - Thursday, 24 October 2013
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law that were not previously enacted in the territory. These include elements relating to fatigue management—the work diaries—heavy vehicle speeding, the national heavy vehicle accreditation scheme and the intelligent access program. These elements were not previously applied in the ACT as either the ACT was not identified as a jurisdiction to which the reform applied or the benefit that would be derived through the introduction of a reform would have been significantly outweighed by the implementation costs for government and compliance costs for industries.
For instance, while operators who drive solely within the ACT are not currently subject to the heavy vehicle fatigue laws, they are subject to the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, which requires workers to work safely and for businesses to provide a safe work environment. Working or requiring a driver to work extensive hours or outside of the national best practice working—driving—limitations may not be consistent with the obligations under that act.
The elements that were not previously applied in the ACT will be phased in over a period of time. As the territory has not previously regulated aspects of the heavy vehicle law and the road transport authority does not currently have the capacity to do so, these elements will not apply in the ACT until such time as the regulator is able to administer these aspects directly. This will also give territory-based operators sufficient time to develop practices and procedures to ensure their compliance with the national law.
The heavy vehicle national law was developed in a process which included extensive consultation with a wide variety of stakeholders, including industry and union representatives, to ensure that this will be a workable, fair and, importantly, a safe national approach to heavy vehicle regulation. The new regulatory scheme will promote productivity, improve safety and reduce the burden and cost of regulation for Australia's heavy vehicle industry. I commend the bill to the Assembly.
Debate (on motion by Mr Coe) adjourned to the next sitting.
Heavy Vehicle National Law (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2013
Ms Burch, on behalf of Mr Corbell, pursuant to notice, presented the bill, its explanatory statement and a Human Rights Act compatibility statement.
Title read by Clerk.
MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Disability, Children and Young People, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Women, Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Minister for Racing and Gaming) (10.27): I move:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
Again on behalf of the Attorney-General I present the Heavy Vehicle National Law (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2013 to the Assembly, which accompanies and
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