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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-09-24 Daily Xml
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TRUCK STOPS

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:04): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for State/Local Government Relations, representing the Minister for Transport, a question about inadequate truck stop infrastructure in South Australia.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: The Road Transport (Heavy Vehicle Driver Fatigue) Bill recently passed this place on 19 June. The bill was part of a welcome series of measures to improve safety and heavy freight movements across the state, and adopts the nationwide model Heavy Vehicle Driver Fatigue framework, with a focus on managing fatigue via regular rest stops.

The concern within the transport industry that has been passed on to me is that, although truck drivers are required to rest at certain intervals and, indeed, face a fine of up to $1,000 for failing to do so, the number of roadside rest stops required by law to support this requirement simply do not exist—that is, there are not enough of them. In fact, according to SARTA, a strict reading of the legislation would require 22,000 rest areas across the state, whereas only 968 exist, according to its data. Many of these exist on roads rarely used for heavy transport, such as the road from Bordertown to Berri.

While the roadside rest area strategy for South Australia has an allocation of $10 million, with an annual allocation for both the past and current financial years of $2.5 million, SARTA has estimated that it will take (according to this funding level) 400 years to build enough rest stops to comply with the current fatigue laws. My questions to the minister are:

1. Does the government acknowledge that compliance with this new legislation is almost impossible, given the inadequate number of rest stops that currently exist?

2. Will the government commit to building rest stops on the roads that are frequently used by heavy vehicles, including stops approximately one hour out of Adelaide, as are demanded by drivers for checking of their loads and the like?

3. Will the government also commit to capacity upgrades to the existing rest area infrastructure on the Barrier Highway between Oodla Wirra in South Australia and the New South Wales border?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Energy) (15:06): I thank the honourable member for his important questions and will refer them to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure in another place and bring back a response.

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