Announcing the review on Wednesday (20th November), Minister for Employment Eric Abetz said the government understands the vital importance of road safety.
The review will assess the operation of the Road Safety Remuneration Act 2012 and the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (together - the Road Safety Remuneration System) and advise government on whether this system represents an effective means of addressing safety concerns in the road transport industry.
"We already have a number of measures in place dealing with road safety in our transport system, including the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator," senator Abetz said.
"We want to establish whether there is sufficient evidence that a separate additional tribunal and a further level of regulation is the right way to improve safety on our roads. I note that even former transport union employees have spoken out against the Tribunal.
"We are listening to concerns of the road transport industry that the work of the Tribunal could overlap with and undermine other regulation and may also impose onerous and unnecessary compliance burdens."
An independent reviewer, Rex Deighton-Smith of Jaguar Consulting, will conduct the review.
"Rex Deighton-Smith is eminently qualified, with 25 years' experience in public policy and whose expertise include policy research and analysis, regulatory impact assessment, competition policy and stakeholder consultation," Senator Abetz said.
"He has the expertise and experience in dealing with regulatory frameworks to assess the evidence of the impact and effects of the Road Safety Remuneration System on the transport industry and the Australian economy and conducted work on a similar matter for the former government."
Submissions to the review will be invited from a broad range of stakeholders across government, business and the community. Information on how to make a submission will be available in the near future via the Department of Employment website.
"We welcome input from industry and the community on this vital issue and look forward to receiving the recommendations of the independent reviewer," Senator Abetz said.
The review will be completed in the first quarter of 2014.
