Grant Robins has been elected as the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association’s (ALRTA) new National President at the association’s AGM in Melbourne. Robins has been a member of the Livestock and Rural Transporters Association of WA and involved with the ALRTA for many years.
His predecessor, Liz Schmidt, has been pre-selected to contest the seat of Dalrymple for the Liberal National Party in the upcoming Queensland State Election.
“Grant is just the person,” said Schmidt in her farewell message to members. “This has been a ‘transition’ year for the ALRTA. Eighteen months ago we were totally reliant on HGH Consulting to resource our National Secretariat and August 1 marked our first day of direct control. We now have our own staff, our own office and our own equipment. We are also upgrading our business systems to be as efficient as possible and to take advantage of modern capabilities.”
Schmidt’s period as President has seen the ALRTA modify the Federal Government’s proposal to mandate ABS on all trucks and trailers. A commitment was also secured to implement a change in the methodology used by the NTC’s to calculate registration charges from 2016-17.
“We have repeatedly told the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal and Government that mandatory written contracts and safe driving plans are unworkable in rural transport,” said Schmidt. “The Tribunal didn’t listen, but the Federal Government commissioned an independent review of the Tribunal which has now reported. An announcement is yet to be made, but the Government has made it abundantly clear that they agree with our view that the Tribunal is an unnecessary layer of red tape.”
Progress on an improved AFM system has received a lot of attention from the ALRTA in recent years. As a result, the planned templates from the NHVR will start with a scheme designed specifically for livestock transporters. The Livestock and Rural Transporters Fatigue Management Scheme will allow fortnightly cycles and may later include flexibility for long rural runs and other circumstances in which it is difficult to set or keep rigid schedules.