Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor has welcomed the Government’s intervention to delay changes around pay rates for owner driver truckies.

The Government will introduce legislation to make sure that orders setting mandatory remuneration rates for truck drivers cannot commence before 1 January 2017.

Mr Taylor said the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal Payments Order that was due to commence on 4 April has been temporarily delayed pending the outcome of an urgent appeal brought by industry against the commencement date of the order, which is supported by the Commonwealth Government.

“We have many family owned and operated transport businesses in Hume, from south west Sydney and Wollondilly right along the Hume Highway to Goulburn, Yass, and further west. “Together with industry groups, we’ve fought hard for these small, family-owned businesses in Hume that would have been hit the hardest by the payment order.

“It was an appalling decision by Labor’s Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal to have given the industry little notice of the payment order which would have had such a significant impact on their business.

“This legislation, to be introduced into the House of Representatives the week commencing 18 April, is about giving Hume’s transport operators some breathing room.”

Mr Taylor said if passed by the Senate, the legislation would provide certainty for the trucking industry while reform options for the Road Safety Remuneration system are considered by Government.

“This Government is committed to small business and we need to ensure that any regulation actually has a positive impact on industry rather than placing unnecessary burden on Hume’s small businesses.”