A COMMITMENT by Prime Minister Scott Morrison to focus the federal government’s Deregulation Taskforce on Australia’s COVID-19 economic recovery has been praised by the Australian Logistics Council.
ALC chief executive Kirk Coningham said the PM’s commitment to addressing regulatory burdens was especially welcome.
“ALC’s Infrastructure & Regulation Policy Committee recently met with representatives of the Deregulation Taskforce to discuss key industry reform priorities in light of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
“Industry representatives recommended the Taskforce should take a national leadership role in supporting the removal of regulatory impediments to supply chain efficiency.
“[This] announcement that the Taskforce will now operate within the Prime Minister’s own department and have a particular focus on supporting common sense economic reforms post-COVID under Assistant Minister Ben Morton is a positive step.”
Mr Coningham said the Prime Minister was correct in saying many laws had not kept pace with the development of technology.
“There are numerous opportunities within the freight and logistics sector to more effectively deploy technology to advance the efficiency, safety and visibility of freight movement,” he said.
“Over many years, ALC has recommended that the collection of telematics data in heavy vehicles be made mandatory.”
Mr Coningham ALC also commended the Prime Minister’s observation that due to changes made during the pandemic, freight vehicles ‘…were allowed to resupply along roads and during hours where they were previously banned. And the sun came up the next day’.
“This was one of the key lessons learned during the pandemic and reinforces what ALC has been saying – the removal of delivery curfews instituted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic should be made permanent,” he said.
