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Perception Versus Reality

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This video illustrates the ongoing issues for the road transport industry and freight transport generally, it’s a matter of perception versus reality. 

The problems the truckling industry faces on a day-to-day basis and when looking forward at the big picture are illustrated here in this presentation. It was put together by the wonderfully named Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications.

What that means is anyone’s guess. it looks like a collection of all of the topics no-one else is interested in. Transport is bundled up with a group of responsibilities which are not important enough to the government to warrant their own department.

Watching this video it is hard to argue with any statements made. It makes a lot of sense, there is some real joined up thinking going on here. It is based on reality and analysis of that reality, looks at the problems and points in the right direction to get things done.

Someone working at the coal face on the front line of the trucking industry would sign up to the intentions expressed here. 

The disconnect is the massive gap between those looking at the big picture of road transport from 30,000ft and those actually doing the job on the ground.

This gap is one of politics, misunderstanding, self interest, pride and a simple lack of care. The process from Canberra to the trucking yard in Dubbo goes through so many levels it gets convoluted into something which is of no use to anyone.

The minister talks about productivity and contribution to the gross domestic product, or improving safety outcomes. The National Transport Commission is tasked with assessing the need and outlining possible solutions. Submissions come in from all the stakeholders , suggesting how to achieve the goal.

This is where the real trouble starts, there are many levels of government, all of whom have an interest in the result of the process. The problem is for many of the interested parties, an improved economic result is not the goal, there are more important goals in preserving and protecting their particular government silos.

So by the time all of the good ideas are filtered through the various levels of government at federal, state and local level, the goal is obscured and the resulting proposals are a complete mess, if the intention is to improve actual out comes in the real world.

In this particular instance it’s the meat in the sandwich which is the problem and you end up with a debacle like the Heavy Vehicle National Law reform.

perception versus reality

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