According to the National Transport Commission’s (NTC) Heavy Vehicle Charges Issues Consultation Paper, A-trailer charges could be as much as halved under proposed changes to heavy vehicle charges.
The paper was released on Monday, 19 December for public consultation.
It outlines four different options to resolve the issues industry is currently experiencing with A-trailer charges.
NTC Chief Executive Nick Dimopoulos said the options have been developed following extensive industry consultation and are based on national policy and sound research.
“We take the concerns that industry have raised with us very seriously,” said Mr Dimopoulos.
“We’re keen to ensure that the charging model that is in place doesn’t penalise industry for using safer and more efficient vehicles such as B-triples.
“We’ve drawn on the best available research when developing this options paper, which has given us access to more accurate information about road wear than ever before.
“Importantly, we’ve ensured we’ve assessed every option to determine whether it can be implemented quickly in accordance with requests from industry.”
During the Standing Council on Transport and Infrastructure (SCOTI) last month, ministers requested that the NTC investigate options for addressing A-trailer pricing issues for their consideration in February 2012.
The NTC consultation paper rigorously assesses each option against the following objectives:
quick implementation time;
impact on national consistency;
whether it encourages the use of safer and more productive vehicles;
whether it adheres to the pricing principles established by the Council of Australian Governments and the Australian Transport Council (now SCOTI); and
its impact on government revenue.
The NTC’s consultation paper also includes options for calculating the annual adjustment.
“Australia has experienced a number of natural disasters that have required significant amounts of additional government road expenditure over the last couple of years. We’re recommending that this cost isn’t passed onto industry as part of the annual adjustment,” said Mr Dimopoulos.
The NTC has invited industry to make submissions on the paper by 30 January 2012 to ensure it meets the deadline set by SCOTI.
The NTC consultation paper is available on the NTC website.
Submissions can be made online through the NTC website or by mailing:
Nick Dimopoulos
National Transport Commission
Level 15, 628 Bourke Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
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