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Heavy Vehicle Reform Report Delivers Progress, but Key Gaps Remain

Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia

Key Facts:

• The Productivity Commission's final report into heavy vehicle reform has been welcomed by Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA), with key recommendations reflecting priorities advocated by Australia's heavy construction materials industry.
• The Commission has recommended greater as-of-right access for Performance-Based Standards (PBS) vehicles and further Commonwealth funding for local government road and bridge assessments, alongside network-based automated access through the National Automated Access System (NAAS).
• Implementation of NAAS alone is estimated to increase GDP by approximately $600 million to $1.3 billion, whilst reducing unnecessary permits and cutting truck movements across housing and infrastructure supply chains.
• The report supports nationally consistent additional mass allowances for electric heavy vehicles, streamlined planning for charging infrastructure, and exemptions for heavy zero-emission vehicles from time-based delivery curfews.
• CCAA emphasised that full productivity benefits will only be realised if governments continue to improve road and bridge asset data quality and strengthen the capability of local road managers to make timely, evidence-based access decisions.

Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA) has welcomed key recommendations in the Productivity Commission’s final report into the Impacts of heavy vehicle reform, saying they strongly reflect priorities advocated by Australia’s heavy construction materials industry.

The Commission has recommended greater as-of-right access for Performance-Based Standards (PBS) vehicles, including allowing eligible PBS vehicles onto existing gazetted networks without requiring new notices.

It has also backed further Commonwealth funding for local government road and bridge assessments and network-based automated access through the National Automated Access System (NAAS).

CCAA Chief Executive Officer Michael Kilgariff said these recommendations reflected key priorities raised by CCAA throughout the inquiry.

“The Commission has recognised a fundamental problem – industry has invested in safer and more productive trucks, but the road access system has not kept pace,” Mr Kilgariff said.

“Greater as-of-right PBS access, better local road asset data and an effective National Automated Access System can reduce unnecessary permits, cut truck movements and improve productivity across housing and infrastructure supply chains.”

The Commission estimates implementation of NAAS alone could increase Gross Domestic Product by around $600 million to $1.3 billion.

Significantly, the report also supports nationally consistent additional mass allowances for electric heavy vehicles that avoid material battery-related payload disadvantages, alongside streamlined planning for charging infrastructure and exemptions for heavy zero-emission vehicles from time-based delivery curfews.

CCAA said the PBS and gazetted-network recommendations represent an important step towards the more consistent, high-productivity access arrangements the industry has advocated, building on successful approaches already operating in jurisdictions such as New South Wales and Western Australia.

However, the report also reinforces that access reform will only deliver its full benefits if governments continue to improve the quality of road and bridge asset data and the capability of local road managers to make timely, evidence-based access decisions.

“This report provides a strong platform for reform and demonstrates that many of the practical changes sought by our industry have been heard,” Mr Kilgariff said.

“Nationally consistent access, better road and bridge asset data, stronger assessment capability for local road managers and effective network-based automated access remain critical if Australia is to realise the full productivity benefits of safer, higher-performing heavy vehicles.”

About us:

About CCAA
CCAA is the voice of Australia’s heavy construction materials industry, an industry that contributes $20.7 billion to GDP and supports 112,970 jobs nationwide. CCAA members produce most of Australia's cement, concrete and aggregates, which are essential to the nation’s building and construction sectors.

Contact details:

Contact: Mitch Itter, Manager Communications | 0431 542 660 | [email protected]