Senate debates

Thursday, 18 June 2020

Committees

Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee; Government Response to Report

3:44 pm

Photo of Glenn SterleGlenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Road Safety) Share this | Hansard source

Why aren't we jumping on this? Minister Cash and Minister McCormack, we talk about training. Is no-one going to do something to start saving lives? Accidents happen, but this is trucks being overloaded and not loaded properly. This is truck drivers crookedly or corruptly getting their licences. This is scumbag transport companies doing their own training and stealing work and food off the decent men and women in the transport industry who do the right thing. Where is the Australian Trucking Association? You say you're the voice of the transport industry. You are imposters! If you were the voice of the transport industry, you would be standing alongside me and you would be demanding that something is done in this nation to stop this rot.

Please, someone! I'm starting to think I'm losing the plot. What do we tell the families who have lost loved ones, because someone's got a licence, after one day, and doesn't know what the hell they are doing and then jumps into a bucket of nuts and bolts that has been glued together by an unqualified mechanic? And the employer is still out there doing his thing! Nothing is wrong with him! A young man's life was destroyed—he is in jail for four years— (Time expired)

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