Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA), an organisation that represents and advances the interests the heavy vehicle industry, is calling to make Australian standards more accessible to heavy vehicle operators.
The HVIA is asking industry groups to ais in making the standards more readily available for free or at a reasonable cost for anyone in Australian who require these standards to perform their duties through an e-petition.
“It is our members who have volunteered their time to develop the industry benchmarks, yet as soon as that is done Standards Australia is putting them behind an extravagantly priced paywall,” HVIA Chief Executive Todd Hacking said.
“The Australian heavy vehicle industry comprises thousands of people who are preserving our nation’s ability to produce world leading innovative vehicles, and yet their viability is constantly being hampered and challenged by layers of red tape and profiteering.
“Our members are committed to adhering to these Standards and the regulatory framework, however in 2022 there has got to be a better model.
Despite being essential for the safety and operability of infrastructure, equipment and services, the Australian Standards are currently restricted to professionals, tradesmen and organisations through a private entity.
Furthermore, for a single task or service, a number of standards may be required, often mandated by legislation.
“A trailer manufacturer gave me one typical example where a single piece of equipment included reference to twenty different standards, none of which are free,” Mr Hacking said.
“Nobody is questioning the outcomes of setting design, safety and engineering benchmarks – we are all proud of that – but let’s not allow Australian innovation and hard work to be exploited.
“We agree with the petition that the existing model is unsustainable and cannot hope to achieve its very worthy purpose while it is creating barriers for industry to comply.
