Mixed result for trucking industry in latest federal budget

Published in Big Rigs

Excerpt:

In a post budget media release, Ehssan Veiszadeh, Chief Executive of Roads Australia, said investments such as $7.2 billion to upgrade the Bruce Highway, an additional $1 billion towards Victoria’s ‘Road Blitz’ and $1.8 billion for Western Sydney road projects, will have a “transformative impact” on those communities.

But Veiszadeh also reiterated Roads Australia’s calls for nationwide reform to address rigid government procurement processes and design standards, which are hampering the adoption of innovation in the transport sector.

“Australia needs a long-term plan for the future of our transport system, supported by a continued focus on supporting industry innovation and addressing the construction sector’s long-standing productivity challenges,” Veiszadeh said.

“Construction sector productivity is continuing to decline, dropping from 0.3 to -0.8 over the last 12 months. At a time where all government budgets are under considerable pressure, rigid procurement processes, overly onerous and outdated technical standards and poor labour productivity are collectively driving up the costs of project delivery.”

The full article is available on Big Rigs.