The Federal Government has committed to working with industry on its heavy vehicle ambitions and regulations at Trucking Australia 2024.
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The Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King, delivered a speech regarding heavy vehicle road safety, decarbonisation, funding, and more, praising the role of the heavy vehicle industry in passing legislation.
“As a minister, I know that good policy doesn’t happen without the full engagement of industry; and as a part of a government determined to improve the lives of working Australians, I know your work has been essential,” she said. “I know that I can continue to count on your engagement as we develop a range of related regulations.”
King also provided updates on the Government’s ‘Vision Zero’ by 2050 policy, once again reaffirming the Government’s commitment to improving road safety and reducing road trauma.
“We’re pursuing this vision – that no one should be killed or seriously injured using our roads by 2050 – through the National Road Safety Strategy and Action Plan,” she said. “This Plan sets out the key actions all governments will undertake to 2025, in pursuit of agreed priorities.
“Sadly, last year Australia had a catastrophic number of road fatalities – 1,266 people were killed on our roads. This is a 7.3 per cent increase compared to the previous year,” she continued. “And around 15 per cent of all road crash deaths in Australia involved a heavy vehicle.”
Furthermore, King also provided an update on the Government’s Transport and Infrastructure Net Zero Roadmap and Action. With the transport industry contributing 21 per cent of national emissions and heavy vehicles making up a quarter of Australia’s transport emissions, King said the industry “needs to be as sustainable as possible”.
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“We have already undertaken early consultation to inform the development of the Consultation Roadmap during which, among other things, the heavy vehicle stakeholders emphasised the need to set transition milestones, shift demand away from diesel-powered heavy vehicles, invest in the roll-out of charging and refuelling infrastructure to support battery and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles, and support the increased use of low carbon liquid fuels, which could be deployed for larger payloads and distances until the supporting charging and refuelling infrastructure is in place,” she said. “At the same time, we are working in partnership with states and territories to progress work on heavy vehicle decarbonisation through the Infrastructure and Transport Ministers Meetings.”
Trucking Australia 2024 is an event held by the Australian Trucking Association that aims to bring together industry leaders and government officials across Australia.
The full transcript of King’s speech can be read here.