According to the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA), previously secret figures held by the federal government reveal that the Commonwealth and State governments are planning to overcharge the rural transport industry by as much as 65 per cent from 1 July 2012.
Reportdely, the Commonwealth and the majority of State governments formally agreed to increase registration charges for road trains by 21 per cent, and to increase the rate of federal diesel tax by 10.39 per cent from 1 July this year.
“Since governments announced their plan to impose a price‐hike on the bush, rural transporters have been in uproar,” says John Beer, National President of the ALRTA.
Freedom of Information laws have now been used to force the National Transport Commission to release its pricing model. “These previously secret figures show the bush is going to be savagely over‐charged,” says John.
In combination, State and Federal Governments can expect to earn $34,858 per annum from each ‘Double Road Train’ in Australia, but the direct impact of these vehicles onto the road network is only $21,097, according to ALRTA.
“Even allowing for a contribution to all the overheads of the State road networks, the true ‘cost to government’ rises to just $24,894,” a recent press release states.
For ‘Triple Road Trains’, which are essential to farming, mining and regional communities throughout Queensland, South Australia and the Top End, governments can expect to earn $53,984 per vehicle, but they need to earn only a minimum of $40,982 and, at most, $46,734, the ALRTA report says.
“The so‐called national charging system is meant to be a cost‐recovery system,” John comments. “These secret government figures show that the planned charges on road trains will go far beyond what’s reasonable. They show that governments are about to impose unnecessarily high transport costs on farmers, miners and regional communities. My members, in every State, are outraged.”
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