SYKES: NATS GET GOVERNMENT TO SEE COMMONSENSE

The Nationals Member for Benalla, Bill Sykes, has welcomed a State Government commitment to establish a self-managed industry scheme to regulate trucks carting grain from the farm to silo.

Dr Sykes said while it was disappointing the Government had rejected a number of amendments to the Transport Legislation (Amendment) Bill, it has agreed to establish a scheme before the next harvest season.

He said his electorate office alone had received more than 30 letters from local grain farmers concerned about the implementation of the legislation.

The Nationals’ amendments aimed to give both drivers and transport companies access to a “reasonable steps defence”.

“We attempted to introduce a level of commonsense to the legislation to allow transporters to defend an overload charge if they could demonstrate that they could not have reasonably known that they were in breach of road transport laws,” Dr Sykes said.

The Nationals also put forward an amendment to introduce statutory warnings as an alternative to prosecution and greater mass limits.

“While I would have preferred that the scheme be included in legislation, at least the Government has recognised that there are serious problems with current legislation and has undertaken to do “everything necessary” to implement a grain harvest transport management scheme prior to the 2005-06 season.”

Under the new legislation, farmers are liable if they inadvertently overload trucks transporting their grain from paddock to silo at harvest time.

Dr Sykes said the “chain of responsibility” legislation was a major concern for farmers throughout the state.

“The Nationals have worked closely with the VFF Grains Group to ensure there is a suitable outcome for farmers and I will be keeping a close eye on the Government to ensure that the harvest transport scheme provides adequate protection.

“This is a major issue and I will continue, with the full backing of The Nationals, to make sure that local concerns are heard loud and clear in the corridors of Spring Street,” Dr Sykes said.

Media contact: Bill Sykes (03) 5762 2100 or 0427 624 989