The Federal Government has succeeded in abolishing the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT) after the Senate voted last night to approve the legislation that repeals the Road Safety Remuneration Act 2012. The legislation passed the Senate without the support of Labor or the Greens – with all but one cross-bencher siding with the Federal Government.

The decision to scrap the RSRT came only hours after the Senate voted down legislation that would have seen the re-establishment of the Australian Building and Construction Commission and which gave the Government a double dissolution trigger.

The RSRT has had a short and controversial history and while this decision has been criticised by some as a move that will have an impact on the safety of road users, the Federal Government has agreed to redirect the funding allocated to the RSRT to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator to effectively preserve safety outcomes. Infrastructure and Transport Minister Darren Chester said that the funding could be “better utilised to develop new targeted safety measures including monitoring of heavy vehicles with a national network of cameras.”

Transport operators should note that this legislation is not yet in force. This will occur two days’ after the Bill receives Royal Assent – the exact time it takes for a Bill to receive Royal Assent after it is passed by Parliament varies but is usually between 7 and 10 working days.

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