Kelvin Thomson (Wills, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As we come towards Christmas—and I wish everyone in the chamber all the best for Christmas—road safety is a major issue. We have far too many road deaths, and too many of these are due to truck crashes. Sadly, something like 80 people will die between now and Christmas in truck crashes, and many more will be injured. Last year there were 47 deaths in truck crashes in my home state of Victoria, many of which were caused by drivers being forced to drive far too fast or too long because of unrealistic delivery deadlines set by their clients.

We are seeing an increasing number of deaths as the result of speeding, fatigue and poor maintenance caused by employers setting lunatic deadlines and keeping trucks on the road too long. A 2012 industry survey of drivers in the biggest supply chain, Coles, showed that 46 per cent of drivers felt economic pressure to skip rest breaks, 28 per cent felt pressure to speed and 26 per cent felt pressure to carry illegally overweight loads.

Drivers have been told that if they do not deliver on time they will lose their jobs. But often delivery times cannot be met without speeding, overloading trucks or staying at the wheel for up to 16 hours at a stretch. The only protection drivers have is the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal, and I call on the government to maintain the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal.