ACTION NEEDED ON PROBLEMS WITH OVERSIZE MACHINERY MOVEMENT

The Nationals Member for Benalla, Bill Sykes strongly supports Peter Walsh The Nationals’ Spokesman for Agriculture, in calling on the Minister for Transport to urgently review VicRoads guidelines governing the movement of oversize agricultural machinery on Victoria’s roads.

Dr Sykes welcomed Mr Walsh’s parliamentary speech drawing attention to VicRoads failure to respond to VFF recommendations that existing allowances for oversize machinery on Victorian roads be reformed.

“I am calling on the Government to urgently resolve this issue so that farmers can focus on their crop production and not on the onus restrictions on the movement of oversize machinery,“ said Dr Sykes.

The Minister for Agriculture has praised Victorian farmers for the high value of Victorian agricultural production but fails to understand that this has been achieved by adopting the best technology and the latest advances in machinery.

As farmers have expanded to achieve economies of scale, the machinery used on their properties has also become bigger and wider. Many farmers need to use their equipment in more than one place because they may own or lease other properties or be involved in share-farming or contracting arrangements and as a result they often need to move non-compliant machinery on roads for considerable distances.

With the requirement of pilot vehicles at the front and rear of some equipment this has become a very costly and difficult exercise. The proposal by VicRoads to require all drivers of pilot vehicles to attend a half day training course goes even further in defying commonsense.

Dr Sykes supports the pressure put on the Minister for Transport to urgently address this issue so that our state’s grain producers can approach this up coming harvest without further impediment.

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