• About
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • List Stock
Saturday, June 21, 2025
Newsletter
SUBSCRIBE
MARKETPLACE
  • Latest News
    • Victoria
    • New South Wales
    • Queensland
    • Northern Territory
    • Western Australia
    • South Australia
    • Tasmania
  • All Sections
    • Industry news
      • Appointments
      • Events and conferences
      • Rail industry events
      • Grants and Budgets
      • Regulations
      • Safety
      • Social Governance
      • Sustainability
    • Major Projects & Infrastructure
      • Fast Rail
      • Freight Rail
      • Heavy Haul
      • Heritage Trains
      • Intermodal
      • Light Rail
      • Operations and Maintenance
      • Passenger Rail
      • Plant and Equipment
      • Railway Crossings
      • Rolling stock and manufacturing
      • Track and civil construction
      • Train Stations
      • Workforce
    • Rail Technology
      • AI and Communications
      • Condition Monitoring
      • Cybersecurity
      • Decarbonisation
      • Digitalisation
      • Research and Development
      • Signalling
      • Standards
      • Whitepapers
    • Industry organisations
      • ARA
      • Australian Logistics Council
      • ONRSR
      • PWI
      • RISSB
      • RTAA
  • Rail Directory
No Results
View All Results
  • Latest News
    • Victoria
    • New South Wales
    • Queensland
    • Northern Territory
    • Western Australia
    • South Australia
    • Tasmania
  • All Sections
    • Industry news
      • Appointments
      • Events and conferences
      • Rail industry events
      • Grants and Budgets
      • Regulations
      • Safety
      • Social Governance
      • Sustainability
    • Major Projects & Infrastructure
      • Fast Rail
      • Freight Rail
      • Heavy Haul
      • Heritage Trains
      • Intermodal
      • Light Rail
      • Operations and Maintenance
      • Passenger Rail
      • Plant and Equipment
      • Railway Crossings
      • Rolling stock and manufacturing
      • Track and civil construction
      • Train Stations
      • Workforce
    • Rail Technology
      • AI and Communications
      • Condition Monitoring
      • Cybersecurity
      • Decarbonisation
      • Digitalisation
      • Research and Development
      • Signalling
      • Standards
      • Whitepapers
    • Industry organisations
      • ARA
      • Australian Logistics Council
      • ONRSR
      • PWI
      • RISSB
      • RTAA
  • Rail Directory
No Results
View All Results
Home Safety, Standards & Regulation

ARA represents rail in Productivity Commission Inquiry on National Transport Regulatory Reform

by Caroline Wilkie
March 24, 2020
in Freight Rail, Passenger Rail, Safety, Standards & Regulation
Reading Time: 5 mins read
A A
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

In her column, CEO of the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) Caroline Wilkie highlights that in current reform discussions the establishment of a national rail safety regulator was a step in the right direction, but there is more work to be done.

The Productivity Commission is undertaking an inquiry into National Transport Regulatory Reform, the reform that established national regulators and national laws for rail, heavy vehicles, and maritime.

Many would be aware that the ARA was a strong advocate for the establishment of a National Rail Safety Regulator. So much so, that the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) recently acknowledged previous ARA CEO, the late Bryan Nye OAM, as both the “agitator” and “architect” of achieving a National Rail Safety Regulator in Australia.

Recognising the significance of the inquiry, the ARA has been deeply engaged in the Commission’s process.

The inquiry terms of reference direct the Commission to investigate the economic benefits that have been achieved through the national transport reforms, to examine the implementation of the three national regulators and identify scope for further reforms.

To appropriately respond to the terms of reference, the ARA initially ran four member workshops around the country, engaging industry safety and regulation representatives to ensure a detailed first submission was provided to the Commission in mid-2019, outlining the industry’s experiences to date and highlighting further reform opportunities that will benefit rail. Following the release of the Commissions’ substantial draft report, the ARA provided a second submission with further member input, supporting many of the draft recommendations put forward by the Commission but questioning the Commissions’ view that road and rail freight are not substitutes and seeking clarity around the funding arrangements for the three national regulators.

In early February, ARA chair Danny Broad, general manager Emma Woods, and public affairs and government relations manager Mal Larsen appeared before the Commission at a hearing in Canberra to discuss the National Transport Regulatory Reforms, the Commissions’ draft report and the ARA’s submissions.

The ARA highlighted the social benefits of passenger and freight rail as quantified by Deloitte in the ARA commissioned Value of Rail Report.

Turning to the reform that has been achieved, the ARA acknowledged that the establishment of a National Rail Safety Regulator has led to some improvements, most notably, the establishment of a single accreditation process for cross-jurisdictional operators. However, reinforcing the position put forward in each of the ARA submissions, the ARA stressed that more is needed to allow the regulatory reform benefits to be fully realised for industry.

The ARA went on to highlight three key issues in response to the Commission’s draft report:

  1. Support to address Rail Safety National Law (RSNL) derogations but concern that the industry has been through this process recently without a national outcome;
  2. The Report’s claims that road and rail freight cannot be substitutes, and the Report’s disproportionate focus on further road productivity and road access reforms, without addressing long standing discrepancies in regulation and access charging that give road freight an unfair advantage over rail freight. The ARA believes this is a detrimental outcome for our national freight task that will make it more challenging for rail to compete in the freight market; and
  3. Clarity around government funding of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), and ONRSR.

The ARA tabled its support for the Commission’s recommendation that the National Transport Commission (NTC) undertake a review of the derogations from the RSNL but highlighted that while there are more than 80 derogations to the RSNL, the three priority derogations that will provide the greatest benefits for industry if rectified are:

1. A nationally consistent, risk-based approach to drug and alcohol management;

2. A nationally consistent, risk-based approach to fatigue management; and

3. The removal of the mirror law legislation in WA.

Noting that ONRSR recently completed reviews into drug and alcohol management and fatigue, both of which were resource- intensive for ONRSR and industry alike, and did not achieve national consistency because the current structure permits state governments to maintain their own arrangements, the ARA supported recommendations for the NTC to review derogations but expressed concerns as to whether this will achieve regulatory consistency.

Before delving into the Commissions’ draft report claims that road and rail freight cannot be substitutes, the ARA was overt to state that it does not perpetuate the old-style road versus rail debate but rather, must take a national approach with all modes working together to deliver an integrated freight market. The ARA then cited several examples where road and rail are clear substitutes, such as Inland Rail project, where the ARTC business cases forecasts two million tonnes of agriculture will switch from road to rail and that 200,000 trucks will be taken off roads per annum from 2050; the Darwin to Adelaide rail link which now has 90 per cent of the market share of freight movements; the Melbourne to Perth and Sydney to Perth rail links which both have 80 per cent of the freight market and the Moorebank Intermodal terminal which will provide a direct link to the interstate freight network and Port Botany and once at full operation, will have the capacity to shuttle more than one million shipping containers annually between Port Botany and Moorebank by rail taking about 3,000 heavy truck movements off Sydney’s road network every day.

Drawing on these examples, the ARA asserted that road and rail freight are proven substitutes on many routes and trades and should be subject to equal treatment in terms of access pricing and the role of productivity in safety regulation.

The ARA also spoke on the issue of fatigue management, productivity opportunities for rail freight, the need to ensure the Australian Transport Safety Bureau provides value by improving the timeliness of its reports, and how to improve interface agreements.

The Productivity Commission will finalise its report to deliver to government by April 2020.

Tags: ARAAustralasian Railway AssociationCaroline WilkieONRSRproductivity commissionregulationsafety
14

$109,890

2017 OMME MONITOR OMME 2100 EP - 21M TRAILER MOUNTED LIFT

  • » Listing Type: Used
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Seven Hills, NSW

02 8315 3992
MORE DETAILS
6

POA

2024 HYDREMA MX18G

  • » Listing Type: New
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Bibra Lake, WA

08 6500 0937
MORE DETAILS
Premium Ad
14

POA

2021 TADANO AT 157CG

  • » Listing Type: Used
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Lytton, QLD

08 6500 0950
MORE DETAILS
Premium Ad
11

POA

2021 TADANO AT200 S Super Deck

  • » Listing Type: New
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Lytton, QLD

08 6500 0950
MORE DETAILS
Premium Ad
14

POA

2023 TADANO AT 300CG

  • » Listing Type: New
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Lytton, QLD

08 6500 0950
MORE DETAILS
14

$289,900

GSR MONITOR GSR E290PX TRUCK MOUNTED BOOM LIFT - PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE THE TRUCK

  • » Listing Type: New
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Seven Hills, NSW

02 8315 3992
MORE DETAILS
22

$197,890

2021 PLATFORM BASKET MONITOR 2095 LBD - 20M HYBRID SPIDER LIFT

  • » Listing Type: Used
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Seven Hills, NSW

02 8315 3992
MORE DETAILS
20

$252,890

2019 PLATFORM BASKET MONITOR 2714 D - 27M SPIDER LIFT

  • » Listing Type: Used
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Seven Hills, NSW

02 8315 3992
MORE DETAILS
22

$179,900

GSR MONITOR GSR E209PX TRUCK MOUNTED BOOM LIFT - PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE THE TRUCK

  • » Listing Type: New
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Seven Hills, NSW

02 8315 3992
MORE DETAILS
16

$142,890

2022 PLATFORM BASKET MONITOR 1275 LBP - 12.3M SPIDER LIFT

  • » Listing Type: Used
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Seven Hills, NSW

02 8315 3992
MORE DETAILS
23

$159,900

2020 GSR MONITOR GSR E148T TRUCK MOUNTED BOOM LIFT - PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE THE TRUCK E148T

  • » Listing Type: New
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Seven Hills, NSW

02 8315 3992
MORE DETAILS
17

$339,900

2020 PLATFORM BASKET MONITOR - 3315 LBD - 33M HYBRID SPIDER LIFT

  • » Listing Type: Used
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Seven Hills, NSW

02 8315 3992
MORE DETAILS

Related Posts

The Metro Tunnel is set to offically open later this year. Image: Victorian Government

First end-to-end Metro Tunnel tests to take place

by Kayla Walsh
June 12, 2025

Test trains will complete the first full practice run from East Packenham through the new Metro Tunnel to Sunbury in Melbourne...

level crossings new south wales

$1.17 million to upgrade level crossings across New South Wales

by Jennifer Pittorino
June 10, 2025

Regional councils in New South Wales will share in $1.17 million in grants to improve safety at level crossings. The...

Image: Adwo/stock.adobe.com

NSW freight industry to grow to $130 billion: Report

by Jennifer Pittorino
June 10, 2025

The freight sector will employ an additional 235,000 workers and add $131.5 billion to the New South Wales’ economy by...

Join our newsletter

View our privacy policy, collection notice and terms and conditions to understand how we use your personal information.
Rail Express is Australia’s authoritative business to business rail publication. Updated daily, Rail Express provides uniquely extensive and comprehensive balanced coverage of breaking news and trends in key areas such as infrastructure, investment, government policy, regulatory issues and technical innovation.

Subscribe to our newsletter

View our privacy policy, collection notice and terms and conditions to understand how we use your personal information.

About Rail Express

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Latest Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Collection Notice

Popular Topics

  • Events
  • Passenger Rail
  • Freight Rail
  • Engineering
  • Safety, Standards & Regulation
  • Operations & Maintenance

Our TraderAds Network

  • Arbor Age
  • Australian Car Mechanic
  • Australian Mining
  • Australian Resources & Investment
  • Big Rigs
  • Bulk Handling Review
  • Bus News
  • Cranes & Lifting
  • Earthmoving Equipment Magazine
  • EcoGeneration
  • Energy Today
  • Food & Beverage
  • Fully Loaded
  • Global Trailer
  • Inside Construction
  • Inside Waste
  • Inside Water
  • Landscape Contractor Magazine
  • Manufacturers' Monthly
  • MHD Supply Chain
  • National Collision Repairer
  • OwnerDriver
  • Power Torque
  • Prime Mover Magazine
  • Quarry
  • Roads Online
  • Rail Express
  • Safe To Work
  • The Australian Pipeliner
  • Trade Earthmovers
  • Trade Farm Machinery
  • Trade Plant Equipment
  • Trade Trucks
  • Trade Unique Cars
  • Tradie Magazine
  • Trailer Magazine
  • Trenchless Australasia
  • Waste Management Review

© 2025 All Rights Reserved. All content published on this site is the property of Prime Creative Media. Unauthorised reproduction is prohibited

No Results
View All Results
NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE
MARKETPLACE
  • Latest News
    • Victoria
    • New South Wales
    • Queensland
    • Northern Territory
    • Western Australia
    • South Australia
    • Tasmania
  • All Sections
    • Industry news
      • Appointments
      • Events and conferences
      • Rail industry events
      • Grants and Budgets
      • Regulations
      • Safety
      • Social Governance
      • Sustainability
    • Major Projects & Infrastructure
      • Fast Rail
      • Freight Rail
      • Heavy Haul
      • Heritage Trains
      • Intermodal
      • Light Rail
      • Operations and Maintenance
      • Passenger Rail
      • Plant and Equipment
      • Railway Crossings
      • Rolling stock and manufacturing
      • Track and civil construction
      • Train Stations
      • Workforce
    • Rail Technology
      • AI and Communications
      • Condition Monitoring
      • Cybersecurity
      • Decarbonisation
      • Digitalisation
      • Research and Development
      • Signalling
      • Standards
      • Whitepapers
    • Industry organisations
      • ARA
      • Australian Logistics Council
      • ONRSR
      • PWI
      • RISSB
      • RTAA
  • Rail Directory
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

© 2025 All Rights Reserved. All content published on this site is the property of Prime Creative Media. Unauthorised reproduction is prohibited