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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-06-04 Daily Xml
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Heavy Vehicles

Ms VLAHOS (Taylor) (14:57): My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Can the minister update the house on the implementation of the government's 90-day project into heavy vehicle productivity for primary producers?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning, Minister Assisting the Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (14:57): I thank the member for her question. In November 2014, the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure and the Department of Primary Industries and Regions SA partnered with Primary Producers SA for a 90-day project into improving heavy vehicle productivity for this important sector of South Australia. Over 600 submissions from primary producers and stakeholders across the state were received throughout this process. The response was so significant that the government needed to extend submission times to allow all proposals to be considered as part of this 90-day project.

In March, and as part of the Mid North country cabinet in the member for Stuart's electorate, I joined the Minister for Regional Development, the Minister for Agriculture, and Primary Producers SA chairperson and former premier, Rob Kerin, in Burra to release the final report. The report details a suite of short, medium and long-term measures to improve heavy vehicle productivity across the state for South Australian primary producers.

I am pleased today to announce to the house the implementation of one of the first of the short-term measures from the report. The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has today gazetted the approval of two combinations of quad road trains on sections of the Stuart and Olympic Dam highways. Specifically, quad road trains will be permitted from the commencement of the 53.5 metre road network at Port Augusta to the Northern Territory border and also between Pimba and Olympic Dam along the Olympic Dam Highway. South Australian transport and agricultural industries, in particular the Livestock and Rural Transporters Association of South Australia, strongly supported this change as part of the project, and this will bring South Australia in line with the Northern Territory. Importantly this change will allow heavy vehicle operators to uncouple road trains and continue their trips without having to reconfigure truck and trailer combinations. I am advised that this will create productivity improvements of at least 8 per cent for the primary production sector.

I am advised by industry that, through the use of these quad road train combinations, operators will be able to carry at least another 3.5 tonnes on their vehicle, a great outcome for primary producers and heavy vehicle operators. This is all about improving the productivity of our road freight network in South Australia's economic competitiveness, particularly for our agricultural sector.

This is noting the quarterly Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey released this week showing that confidence in the South Australian farming sector was at its highest level since early 2011. However, we know that there is more to do. The government will be implementing more of the short-term measures outlined in the 90-day report over the coming months.

I am advised that the approval of tri-axle dollies, which will further increase productivity for primary producers and truck operators, is progressing through formal local government consent processes, and I have asked for this to be resolved as soon as possible. I look forward to providing further updates to the parliament as this work progresses.

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