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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-06-04 Daily Xml
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LIVESTOCK TRANSPORT LEGISLATION

The Hon. C.V. SCHAEFER (15:12): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the minister, representing the Minister for Transport, a question on livestock transport legislation.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C.V. SCHAEFER: The Livestock Carriers Association of South Australia is holding its annual conference this weekend and, as part of its press release, the President, Mr David Smith of Tumby Bay, said that drivers are still struggling to comply with fatigue laws eight months after the regulations were introduced. The biggest thing is that everyone is scared of the new laws and, instead of trying to embrace them, people are struggling to come to terms with the very complicated fine details.

Conflicting laws were evident in the scenario of drivers running out of hours within half an hour of their destination. He has said that he might have a driver who needs to stop half an hour from Murray Bridge, even though he has only another half an hour to drive. If that driver has a truck full of livestock and has to stop in high temperatures for seven hours to have a break, he is then in breach of the Australian Animal Welfare Standards for the Transport of Livestock.

Long haul drivers are losing the flexibility of working 12 days in 14, because they now have to take a day off every six days, which could mean they have to take a day off in the middle of their trip when they just want to get home. Clearly these laws do not pass the common sense test. When this legislation was introduced into this place we asked a series of questions, pointing out the anomalies within the legislation and we were assured at the time that common sense and flexibility would apply, particularly to livestock transporters, and that consideration for animal welfare would be taken into account. Clearly, this has not happened. Did the minister deliberately mislead this place and the Livestock Transport Association? If not, when and how soon can we expect common sense amendments to that legislation?

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) (15:14): I will refer the honourable member's questions to the Minister for Transport in another place and bring back a response.

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