Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to contribute to the debate on the trucking industry. Since I was elected the member for Hunter I've been doing lots driving—a lot of driving to and from Canberra and a lot of driving all around my electorate, which spans from Muswellbrook in the north all the way to Wyee in the south. This alone has been enough for me to gain an even greater respect for our truckies, because, while I say I do a lot of driving, it's nothing compared to what those in the trucking industry do. They often drive through the day and night in large vehicles, doing hard hours and spending time away from their families.

I have no doubt that being a truck driver is a tough job. It is an industry filled with hard workers, who all make their own fair share of sacrifices to show up to work every day and provide for their families. As I drive around I see a lot of trucks of all sizes carrying all sorts of goods. Sometimes as I drive behind these trucks all around my electorate I notice a sign on the back of a truck that reads 'Without trucks Australia stops'. This could not be any truer. Trucks, and the truckies who drive them, are the reason our supermarkets have food on the shelves. They are the reason our servos have fuel in their bowsers. They are a big reason why our farmers can get their produce to market and to export and why our cattle farmers can put steak on our plates.

Road transport is a major part of our economy. In the 12 months to June 2022, the industry contributed $31.1 billion to our economy. To put it simply, truck drivers and the trucking industry are the reason we are able to move goods to all corners of the huge country that we live in and live the way that we do. For this we all owe a great deal of appreciation and a great debt to this industry and those who are in it. My electorate of Hunter knows how important the trucking industry is and so do I. There are parts of my electorate that do not even have a train station or a train line which is currently in use. The only way that these parts of my electorate—like Cessnock, which has a population nearing 60,000—can get goods that are needed by all who live there is by having them transported by trucks. Another part of my electorate, Morisset, is located smack-bang in the middle of one of the busiest transportation routes in this country. It is the perfect spot for truck drivers going between Melbourne and Brisbane to stop and have a rest before continuing their long and tiring journeys. So, yes, I understand the importance of the trucking industry, and my electorate understands the importance of the trucking industry. The government understands the importance of the trucking industry and the heavy reliance that we all have on it as a nation.

State and territory transport ministers, along with the Commonwealth, have collectively asked the National Transport Commission to undertake consultation on the next increase to the road user charge. This is not a process the Commonwealth undertakes independently. The National Transport Commission has been consulting on a range of charge options. Consultation is what responsible governments do, and I can advise those opposite that no final decision has yet been reached on this heavy-vehicle charge. Rather than whingeing from the sidelines or opposing for opposition's sake, this government will continue working collaboratively with the states and territories to deliver more certainty for the road transport sector and to ensure investment in our regional roads can continue. This is what governments must do to clean up the mess left from the previous government.

There is not a single member in the Labor Party who wants to see the trucking industry doing it tough. As I said, we understand how important this industry is and we appreciate the industry. More importantly, we support the trucking industry. We want to see them continue doing the important work that they do in order to pay their bills and support their families. I want to finish by once again saying thank you to all in the trucking industry: thank you to the truck drivers, thank you to the admin workers, thank you to the freight coordinators, thank you to the forkies—and I must thank all the families of the drivers who are waiting for their husbands and their wives to come home to their kids. This is one of the most dangerous industries we have in Australia, and I thank them for all they do. I really wish they all get home safely to their families.

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