Wednesday, 19 March 2025

Public Accounts and Estimates Committee

Report on the 2024‒25 Budget Estimates

Roma BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (10:16): I rise to speak on the 2024–25 budget estimates Public Accounts and Estimates Committee report. On page 87 finding 47 found that more than half of the Department of Transport and Planning’s existing capital projects have been delayed in the 2024–25 budget compared to last year and a quarter have been delayed by more than one year. A few projects in the department’s capital program have been discontinued in 2024–25, and one of them is the rural and regional roads package for an alternative truck route.

This leads me on to heavy vehicles on our roads. In my capacity as Shadow Minister for Ports and Freight I meet with stakeholders across the portfolio, including port, transport and freight operations, and I am often speaking with people in the transport industry. One of the issues that is often brought to my attention is the lax regime of licensing of heavy vehicles. They feel this is compromising the safety of road usage. It would be fair to assume for a member of the public that there would be adequate training in place before people can drive on our roads, in particular those wanting a heavy vehicle drivers licence. As we all know, to get a normal car licence, our L-plate drivers under the age of 21 need 120 hours of supervised driving before they can drive independently. So how many hours do you think a driver of a heavy vehicle would need to clock up before they can get a licence? Forty-five minutes – yes, you heard me correctly. To get a heavy vehicle licence is actually a 5-hour process and costs $1000, but only 45 minutes is spent behind the wheel. This is crazy. Large vehicles have large accidents, and according to the VTA, the Victorian Transport Association, our system trains people to be compliant with the law but not to be competent drivers. That is quite a stark statement.

There is a lack of priority on safety, and the industry has been crying out for this to be addressed by government for years. It is not the industry’s lack of willingness; it is the government’s lack of need to prioritise increased training, safety and professionalism in the industry. That is what the industry are calling for, and the government are not listening. Austroads conducted a three-year study in 2020 for a national heavy vehicle licensing system with a national competency framework. It is now 2025, and none of the recommendations have been adopted. The state government, through VicRoads, are reviewing those recommendations. This what is happening right now. Safety is already identified as a priority. There is a study that has been done. It has been five years, and still no change. This is not a government that is sounding like they care about the community and the industry’s desire to make their industry more professional and safer. We often see serious fatalities that occur involving trucks. It is a big issue, and rightfully so. So another study is done, and then nothing changes. It is a cycle that keeps perpetuating.

The time for reviews is over. It is time for action to improve road safety for all road users. After a 45-minute process you can get a heavy vehicle licence, so you can then drive something like a garbage truck. The licence-holder can then upgrade to a semitrailer after 12 months. But that does not mean they have been driving that truck for 12 months; they may have been riding a pushbike delivering pizzas for those 12 months.

Steve Dimopoulos interjected.

Roma BRITNELL: There is nothing wrong with regulation. It is about unintended consequences of regulation. Nobody is saying regulation is a problem.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Through the Chair.

Roma BRITNELL: I think the minister has the wrong impression of the importance of regulation. So, the government takes the next fee of $1000 and upgrades the licence to allow a person to drive a semitrailer. This is dangerous, and most people driving their cars around trucks would know that there is quite a possible lack of driving experience. The government are dragging their feet. The Allan Labor government are ignoring our roads, and we know they are ignoring safety. They have just spent absolutely minimal in the regions. Even the children know how bad the roads are in South-West Coast. When I visited her school, young Elyse from Koroit primary school went to the effort to impress upon me just how bad they are. She had gone to such effort she counted from Koroit to Warrnambool and reported there were 385 potholes.

Our roads are so bad that other countries are issuing warnings to their citizens about driving in Victoria. The Chinese Consulate General has warned that traffic risks cannot be ignored as the roads of Victoria are in such a terrible state they are a hazard. We have been banging on about the terrible degradation of our roads for some time, and even other countries are warning people about driving in Victoria. The government are remiss in their – (Time expired)