The national road safety tribunal has been established under the Road Safety Remuneration Act 2012, which has been developed after extensive consultation with industry and customer representatives.
Minister for workplace relations, Bill Shorten, has announced the tribunal members representing Fair Work Australia (FWA) and the road transport industry.
The Hon Jennifer Acton has been declared president while other tribunal members include:
• Senior deputy president, Lea Drake;
• Commissioner Asbury;
• Commissioner Hampton.
All three are said to have a wealth of experience in dealing with workplace issues.
The four transport industry members making up the tribunal include:
• Professor Ann Williamson;
• Steve Hutchins (ex senator);
• Tim Squires (truck operator and immediate past president of the Queensland Trucking Association);
• Paul Ryan (Australian road transport industrial advisor and Victorian Transport Association (VTA) industrial consultant).
Commenting on the appointments, Philip Lovel AM, VTA executive director said:
“We are reasonably pleased with the make up of the panel. You cannot say it is TWU orientated (and) it has a varying degree of industry experience.
“The VTA has used Paul Ryan for over 15 years in an advisory role covering awards, enterprise bargaining arrangements and subcontractor issues. Paul’s industry experience will be of great benefit to the tribunal.
“Tim Squires is a real live road transport operator and is nobody’s fool,” Lovel added. “He knows how hard it is to make a living in trucking, complying with government legislation and meeting the demands of customers in a competitive environment.”