Two thousand twenty-five marks 40 years in which the Australian Livestock and Rural Transport Association (ALRTA) has been representing and supporting rural operators within Australia’s transport industry.
The achievement is a remarkable feat for the association which began on 9 October 1985 when a group of transporters met in Sydney and created what was called the Australian Livestock Transporters Association (ALTA) at the time.
The ALTA was founded with the mission to unify and advocate for rural transporters across Australia. The first meeting, led by Livestock Transporters Association of Queensland President, Bruce McIver, and Livestock Transporters Association of Western Australia President, Jack Mitchell, brought together operators with one objective – to create a national voice for the industry and unify rural transporters across Australia.
“Queensland and Western Australia were the first states to start,” says ALRTA President, Gerard Johnson. “The other states followed suit, and the ALRTA formed afterwards to look at the federal issues that affected all of the states.”
ALRTA’s strength lies in its grassroots foundation. The association has always been led by people directly involved in the industry, ensuring the association stays practical, relevant and committed to the real needs of its members. This, Gerard says, has been critical to its resilience.
“We’re a very strong organisation, and I think that’s mainly due to the passion of the people involved,” he says. “The members that make up the association are all very hands-on in the industry, and I think that’s been the driving success behind the ALRTA.”
Frasers Livestock Transport is one of these members – the company played a significant part in the establishment of the ALRTA and is still heavily involved with the association to this day.
“It’s important that the people representing an industry are working in it, and the ALRTA has got skin in the game,” says Frasers Livestock Transport Director, Ross Fraser. “The early days weren’t without any challenges, but Queensland livestock carriers were instrumental in providing the financial backing to set the ALRTA up.”
According to Ross, the initial forming of the ALRTA really set the mark for what it is today. He explains that the original members, including himself, put a lot of practices and procedures in place which have helped change the face of transport in Australia.
“The ALRTA has been a huge success, and the basis under which we set it up 40 years ago is one of the reasons why,” he says. “The 40th anniversary is a great milestone and it’s testament to the support that the industry has given the association over the years.”
As the ALRTA celebrates four decades of operation, it reflects on the dedication of those who started ALRTA, the progress made along the way and the ongoing mission to support the transporters who play such a vital role in rural Australia.
“It’s an honour to be President of the ALRTA, especially when you look at some of the people that have been involved over the years,” Gerard says. “We’ve always tried to do the right thing for the industry, and that’s what we’ll continue to do in order to get the best outcome for our members.”
