Truck safety bill passes Senate

Posted March 21, 2012 01:30:38

Photo: The Government says the bill will ensure drivers are not under as much financial pressure to meet deadlines. (ABC TV)

Related Story: Coles, Woolies accused of gouging truckies

Map: Australia

The Senate has passed new laws aimed at improving road safety for truck drivers.

The laws follow the so-called “safe rates” campaign by the Transport Workers Union which lobbied for more regulation to protect drivers from pressure to work long hours, speed or take drugs.

The new law sets up a Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal with the power to set minimum pay rates and conditions as well as resolve disputes and inquire into industry practices.

The Government says the tribunal can help to tackle speeding and illegal drug use, and ensure drivers are not under as much financial pressure to meet deadlines.

The Coalition voted against the law, which angered Labor Senator Glenn Sterle, who told the Upper House that three generations of his family are truck drivers.

“Challenge me to a debate on road safety – the link between road safety, remuneration fatigue and our truckies getting home each night to their family,” she said.

But Nationals Senator John Williams, who was previously a truck driver, told the Senate he knows the dangers of the industry.

“We all want people to get home to their families,” he said.

“I know the crazy things I did in driving trucks… where you’d work 35 hours out of 40 hours, have little sleep.

“It was crazy – it was the days before log books, and I know the trips down the Stuart Highway, the 500 kilometres of corrugations six inches to a foot deep, the bulldust holes, the danger of it all.

“They were crazy days and I’m glad those days are not here today.”

But the peak body representing companies with large transport networks, such as Coles and Woolworths, has previously called the bill heavy-handed and said it would not improve safety.

“All it will do is give a tribunal under the Fair Work Australia the ability to intervene in contracts between parties,” Australian Logistics Council chief executive Michael Kilgariff said.

“It will limit the ability of executives to be able to run their businesses in the most efficient manner, and there’s no evidence to suggest that it will lead to is a safer outcome in the industry.”

Topics:federal-parliament, road-transport, australia

Mr Palmer appears to be paranoid.

Queensland election coming up.

Palmer says green groups funded by CIA

Updated March 20, 2012 17:21:42

Queensland businessman Clive Palmer has accused green groups of being funded by America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Mr Palmer has referred to a paper produced by environmental group Greenpeace which calls for action to stop the expansion of the Queensland coal industry.

He says it is tantamount to treason.

Greenpeace’s plans were leaked to the media earlier this month as it organises a campaign to raise $6 million to fund legal battles against controversial coal mining projects across Australia.

“This is a serious matter indeed because it goes to the political independence of all Australians,” Mr Palmer said.

“Whatever the views are, whatever the issues are, whatever the Greens want to raise, it should be raised by Australian Greens by Australians Greens supporters.

“We don’t want domination by a foreign power and that’s what we’ve got here.”

Mr Palmer says former Greens candidate Drew Hutton, who was consulted about the document, should be concerned.

But Mr Hutton says the mining magnate’s claims are bizarre.

“I just think that’s a bridge too far,” Mr Hutton said.

“I don’t even understand the argument, to tell you the truth.

“The only thing I know about that particular document that he’s referring to is that it’s an attempt by environmental organisations to access funds to do campaigning.”

Court action

Mr Palmer is active politically and within the courts system.

One of the Coalition’s biggest financial donors and a member of the Liberal National Party, Mr Palmer last week announced his companies were preparing legal action based on advice the Government’s carbon tax legislation was unconstitutional.

But he will not be joining into any High Court action to stop the Federal Government’s mining tax despite saying it is bad for the economy.

“It probably won’t cost me anything because I’m not mining anything that comes under the classification of it,” he said.

But Mr Palmer is set to sue international hotel operator Hyatt for $60 million over its management of the Sunshine Coast Hyatt resort, which Mr Palmer owns.

The magnate is alleging the company has been siphoning profits from the resort and sending the money to the US rather than the resort’s owners.

Topics:mining-industry, business-economics-and-finance, government-and-politics, qld, australia

First posted March 20, 2012 17:20:12