QUEENSLAND'S peak local government association and the NHVR have signed an agreement to improve the productivity and safety of the state’s road freight industry.

NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto said the Memorandum of Agreement with the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) would streamline heavy vehicle access to 150,000kms of council controlled roads throughout the state.

“A total of 2.1 billion tonnes of freight is moved by road annually throughout Australia with 22 percent originating in Queensland – the second highest amount behind NSW,” Mr Petroccitto said

“Road is the predominant mode for the transportation of freight in Queensland, with freight tonnages predicted to continue to increase over the coming decades.

“I’m pleased to be working with the LGAQ to improve the permit system at the local level and make sure the heavy vehicle industry is meeting their expectations.”

The Heavy Vehicle National Law requires local governments, as road managers, to consent to the operation of heavy vehicles on their roads before access permits can be issued.

LGAQ CEO Greg Hallam said the LGAQ and NHVR would work together to provide a standard approach to the way access permits are provided to the road freight industry.

“Under the MOA, the NHVR and the LGAQ will help more than 70 local governments throughout Queensland to fulfil their obligations under the Heavy Vehicle National Law.

 “This will include the formation of a Partnership Steering Committee to oversee the Agreement’s implementation and an LGAQ Heavy Vehicle Access Liaison Officer to provide direct support to local governments,” he said.

“Both organisations have joint interest in working together to deliver heavy vehicle regulatory services. Collaboration between the Regulator, LGAQ and local governments is critical to improving the safety and productivity of Queensland’s road freight network,” he said.

“The MOA will encourage local governments to allow timely and safe heavy vehicle access to the vital ‘first and last mile’ linkages to strategic freight routes across Queensland.”

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator is Australia’s independent regulator for all vehicles over 4.5t gross vehicle mass. We administer one set of laws for heavy vehicles to deliver a comprehensive range of services under one regulator, one rulebook. For more information, visit: www.nhvr.gov.au

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PARLIAMENT'S Public Accounts Committee today tabled its report into the 2014‑15 Major Projects Report produced by Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) and Defence.

The Major Projects Report consolidates information on major Defence acquisition projects—including cost, schedule, and capability performance. It also provides a longitudinal analysis of projects and commentary on Defence’s project governance systems.

“The Major Projects Report has developed into an excellent tool to assess the status of Defence major acquisition projects” Committee Chair, Mr Ian Macfarlane MP said.

“However, despite some significant capabilities being delivered in recent years, the Committee remains concerned that slippage of projects continues and believes it is critical that Defence correctly assess the project type early in the procurement cycle—be it ‘off the shelf’ or developmental.”

“The Committee was strongly concerned with the contracting model for the Air Warfare Destroyer project—making a recommendation that Defence undertake a detailed review to determine liability for the project’s problems and to help mitigate similar issues arising in the future.”

“The Major Projects Report is a key tool to improve the transparency of Defence procurement. Recent reforms of Defence represent an opportunity to further improve the Report and Defence procurement outcomes—but ongoing commitment, resourcing and leadership will be required. The Committee commends Defence and the ANAO for their strong efforts in this regard.”

The JCPAA’s report can be found at the Committee’s website http://www.aph.gov.au/jcpaa.

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THE Standing Committee on Tax and Revenue has recommended that the present arrangements of the external scrutiny of the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) should remain in place in its report tabled today.

Chair the Committee, Bert van Manen MP, said its inquiry into the external scrutiny of the ATO examined the roles of its main scrutineers – the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO), the Inspector-General of Taxation and parliamentary committees.

“The ATO has considerable resources and powers, which are necessary to administer the tax system, but their use also needs to be monitored,” said Mr van Manen.

“Taxpayers receive a great deal of comfort from knowing the ATO is subject to high quality external scrutiny and we have recommended that the present arrangements should continue.”

Mr van Manen said that complaints about tax administration were transferred from the Commonwealth Ombudsman to the Inspector-General in May 2015.

“The Committee supports the Inspector-General’s mandate and found that the Inspector-General plays an important role in scrutinising the ATO and is highly regarded by taxpayers and tax practitioners,” he said.

Mr van Manen said another key issue in the inquiry was the extent of overlap between the work of the ANAO and the Inspector-General.

“The Committee found that the extent of any duplication, if it does occur, is minimal,” he said.

The Committee also considered communication between the Inspector-General and the ATO and recommended that the Inspector-General and the ATO increase efforts to communicate effectively.

There are opportunities for improvement in how the scrutineers operate. The Committee’s other recommendations were that:

• the scrutineers increase the transparency of how they co-ordinate their work
• the scrutineers better explain in their reports how each review fits in with other reviews
• the Inspector-General consider how to conduct reviews based on complaints and emerging issues in tax administration
• in the next Parliament, the Committee scrutinise the work of the Inspector-General, similar to how the Committee scrutinises the work of the ATO.

For information about the inquiry: please contact the committee secretariat by telephone (02) 6277 4821, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit the committee website www.aph.gov.au/taxrev

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THE impact of the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal’s (RSRT) Payments Order on small business owner-truck drivers will be investigated by the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO).

As set out under section 42(1) of the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Act 2015, the Federal Government on Friday requested the ASBFEO conduct the inquiry; the first to be undertaken by Kate Carnell in her role as Ombudsman.

The investigation will examine the overall effect of the RSRT’s Payments Order on owner-driver businesses, taking into account the period before and after its implementation and subsequent cessation.  The inquiry will also consider the role small businesses can play in the development and operation of tribunals and other similar bodies.

“The anecdotal evidence we’re hearing of the financial difficulties small businesses continue to face as a result of the Payments Order is extremely concerning, so a formal investigation into the extent of the impact is certainly warranted,” Ms Carnell said.

Ms Carnell said the inquiry will consult broadly with stakeholders to establish exactly how widespread situations of financial hardship are across the sector.

“Some owner-drivers are saying the battle to stay afloat has only just begun, as they struggle to stay on the road and try and re-coup the income they were forced to forgo during the weeks of uncertainty triggered by the RSRT, so we’ll be looking for feedback to determine just how prevalent these sorts of cases are,” Ms Carnell said.

Ms Carnell said she is particularly interested in hearing from small businesses who have been subjected to heavy-handed practices from creditors.

“I’ve been made aware of instances whereby people have resorted to borrowing money from family members in order to stay on top of their payments,” Ms Carnell said.

“I once again encourage all creditors, including suppliers, banks and other financial institutions, to show some leniency towards owner-driver small businesspeople who may be struggling financially due to the recent upheaval,” she said.

Further particulars on the inquiry including submission details and reporting dates will be announced shortly. 

In the interim, small businesses can contact the ASBFEO on 1300 650 460 or by visiting the website: www.asbfeo.gov.au

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