Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

The Road Transport Charges (Australian Capital Territory) Repeal Bill 2008 (the bill) meets the Australian government’s obligation, under the Inter-Governmental Agreement for Regulatory and Operational Reform in Road, Rail and Intermodal Transport, to repeal any road transport legislation that has been enacted by the Commonwealth on behalf of the ACT.

The bill will repeal the Road Transport Charges (Australian Capital Territory) Act 1993, which will allow the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government to introduce new heavy vehicle registration charges into its own legislative arrangements, in the same manner as the other states and territories and by the agreed implementation date of 1 July 2008.

The new charges are set out in the 2007 Heavy Vehicle Charges Determination, which was endorsed by the Australian Transport Council at its meeting on 29 February 2008. The new heavy vehicle charges are one component of the Rudd Labor government’s broader heavy vehicle productivity and safety agenda.

That determination will be implemented in part by Interstate Road Transport Charge Amendment Bill 2008, which enables nationally agreed new heavy vehicle registration charges to be applied to heavy vehicles registered under the Australian government’s federal interstate registration scheme (FIRS).

The repeal will become effective from midnight on 30 June 2008, to coincide with the implementation by the ACT of the new charges to ensure a seamless transition.

It is necessary to allow the ACT to implement the new charges within its own legislative framework.

The ACT and other jurisdictions have been consulted on this amendment.

I commend the bill to the House.

Debate (on motion by Mrs Bronwyn Bishop) adjourned.