ROAD Freight NSW has welcomed calls from the state branch of One Nation to work on ending “unfair port charges” imposed on local truckies by stevedores.
In a recent statement NSW One Nation said that if elected to Parliament they would “do everything it can to get a better deal for our trucking industry and the great people working in it”.
“This is clearly an example of price gouging, with truckies being slugged financially simply for presenting their vehicle at the port,” the statement read.
“It’s time multi-national stevedoring companies stopped using Aussie truckies as ATMs.
“Truckies deserve a break from escalating port surcharges. So why won’t the Government act?”
RFNSW Chief Executive, Simon O’Hara said the surcharges were hurting truck operators, many of whom were small, family-run businesses.
“And it will start hurting consumers, once the charges are passed through the supply chain and they start paying more for their everyday goods,” Mr O’Hara said. “Despite RFNSW’s repeated calls for an inquiry, there’s still been no intervention from government or regulators. It’s time that an independent arbiter is called-in to regulate infrastructure and other landside charges – and stop stevedores running roughshod over truckies just to boost their own revenue streams.”
