First tranche of in-house road maintenance delivery begins

the freight industry provides. For the first time there is broad recognition from the public that the majority of consumer goods have spent at least some time on the back of truck and without truck drivers our economy would falter.

The new-found focus on the life of truck drivers helped draw attention to the lack of truck rest areas and worse still the lack of facilities for drivers. Although it began in 2021, the joint working group between Main Roads, the Transport Workers Union, Western Roads and the WA Livestock and Rural Transport Association has continued identifying locations around the state that need facilities and rest areas and putting funding submissions forward. This process will be boosted by WA’s slice of the $80 million investment announced in the federal budget to develop new rest areas around Australia.

Last year the looming shortage of AdBlue threatened to overshadow Christmas celebrations as supplies of the essential ingredient to keep modern trucks on the road was perilously close to running out. Fortunately the Federal Government stepped in to extend production into the New Year. It was always a short term measure and the industry remained vulnerable to further shortages. In September this year the Government announced a $49.5 million plan for a national stockpile and to incentivise Australian businesses to manufacture high grade urea, an essential component of AdBlue. The plan is anticipated to add five weeks supply in the case of a shortage.

In May, foot and mouth disease was detected in Indonesia. While this in itself is not good news, the presence of a disease on our doorstep that is estimated to have an $80 billion impact if found in Australia, drew attention to the importance of biosecurity to protect all our livelihoods. An outbreak of a serious animal disease such as foot and mouth would not only devastate animals but flow on to every aspect of our lives. As a result, biosecurity messaging and controls have stepped up at our national borders and the general population is more aware of the risks and how to mitigate against them. Notwithstanding all the publicity there are still cases of abject stupidity with one traveller recently fined and deported for attempting to bring meat products to Australia.

WA farmers had a dream season with consistent rains leading to predictions of another bumper crop of more than 20 million tonnes. The only downside is that capacity in the transport sector is depleted by labour shortages.

In other good news Main Roads agreed to install cameras at the road train assembly area in an attempt to control the ongoing misuse of the area by some members of the industry and in some cases the public.

The issue of training and licensing of truck drivers has also received attention this year. Although we can all debate whether or not the attention has led to lasting and constructive reform, the spotlight on competencies and how they

are measured opens the door to more fruitful discussions in the coming year.

These are just some of the high points in 2022. There is a big program for the industry in 2023 – heavy vehicle charging reform, the road freight industry tribunal, road infrastructure program, fuel security, increased heavy vehicle access, labour shortages and licensing reform to name a few. When I look at the list I realise a good Christmas break is more important than ever.

I hope readers of this magazine will be able to bring their trucks to a halt at Christmas time and spend well-deserved time with the family and friends. Best wishes for a happy and safe festive season.

major economic benefits and increased employment opportunities for regional WA, including increasing gross regional product by up to $335 million over the next 10 years.

Road workers employed directly by Main Roads will receive better pay and conditions, including increased paid leave and long service leave after seven years, as well as additional training opportunities.

As part of the changes, the Government has also announced $48.8 million will be invested over the next six years on new regional staff housing, depots and offices. The investment will be funded from operational savings realised through the change.

The first two network contracts to conclude and transition to in-house delivery by Main Roads are Wheatbelt Region – today - and Mid-West Gascoyne Region on November 7, 2022.

The last region will be the Kimberley, which will be brought in-house when the current contract ends in January 2026.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said, "The Wheatbelt region is the first in the State to transition to an in-house road maintenance model, and for the communities in this part of our State, it is a big win for jobs and economic prosperity.

“Bringing road maintenance in-house will deliver significant benefits for WA, with estimated savings of around $25 million each year, as well as improved expertise and knowledge within Main Roads. "As part of the transition to in-house road maintenance, we will be investing nearly $50 million over the next six years on new regional staff housing, depots and offices – highlighting our commitment to regional communities.

“The next region to transition to in-house delivery will be the Mid-West Gascoyne on November 7, with most other regions to transition progressively between October 2023 and February 2024 as their network contracts conclude. The last region will be the Kimberley, which will be brought in-house when the current contract ends in January 2026.”