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Transport Ministers Meeting on Road Transport Logistics Safety and Productivity
8 February 2010 Melbourne Victoria Australia
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Road Transport meeting: Ministerial statement
Monday 8 Feb 2010
Parliamentarians representing transport ministers from Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and
Thailand, a Ministerial representative from New Zealand and a number of Australian State
and Territory Transport Ministers met today in Melbourne to discuss common issues and
challenges in relation to road transport safety and logistics. A list of attendees is attached.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the delegates agreed to the following statement:
Despite the vast difference in the road transport environment in each of these jurisdictions,
Ministers share a common interest in issues like safety, transport efficiency, regulation, driver
training, fatigue, congestion and reducing road fatalities while continuing to meet the
increasing freight challenge, facing each of their economies.
Transport Ministers have key roles to play in facilitating trade within and between regions.
An efficient, safe and secure transport sector to facilitate the movement of goods and people
underpins economic and social development and prosperity.
Improved transport logistics also means enhanced supply chain connectivity and improved
productivity. The meeting agreed that addressing chokepoints and barriers in the logistics
supply chain to allow for the smooth and safe flow of goods and services will make a major
contribution to trade facilitation and community development.
Initiated by Mr Lindsay Fox in his role as one of Australia’s representatives on the APEC
Business Advisory Council (ABAC), the Melbourne meeting was hosted by the Hon Anthony
Albanese, Australian Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local
Government. The meeting was also attended by high level business and transport industry
representatives from the attending countries along with Government officials responsible for
transport policy, and will be followed by the ABAC meeting to be hosted by Australia in
Melbourne from 9-12 February 2010.
Parliamentary representatives shared their experiences with representatives from business and
the transport industry; had fruitful discussions on the issues of common concern and the
safety challenges they face; and agreed there was scope for this small group to lay the
foundation for future initiatives to enhance road transport safety and productivity in the
region. ABAC supports a suggestion for further government/industry dialogue on the linkage
between safety and productivity to take place on the margins of the APEC Business Advisory
Council meeting to be held in Bangkok in August this year.
The meeting noted that the discussion supported proposed initiatives in the APEC supply
chain connectivity framework to address variations in cross-border standards that impede the
smooth flow of goods, services and people.
Areas of key focus for the meeting included:
For Australia, the shared goal for Governments and the heavy vehicle industry to improve
safety and transport productivity through a systems approach using a mix of behavioural,
infrastructure and regulatory measures to achieve safer vehicles, roads, drivers and
companies. A single national set of heavy vehicle regulations and a single regulator will
reduce costs and increase certainty for industry. Emerging technologies will have an
appropriate role with common standards and performance specifications required to promote
innovation to contribute to safety and productivity, and there will be benefits for all from
international harmonisation of standards and regulations over time.
For Singapore, the scarcity of land means that long term land-use planning, integrated with
transport infrastructure planning, is critical in ensuring that land-use is optimised and
transport networks are efficiently designed. To maintain the efficiency of road networks,
there is a need to manage road usage demand through vehicle ownership measures, like the
Vehicle Quota System, as well as congestion charging, like Electronic Road Pricing. Active
management of traffic flow using Intelligent Transport Systems, such as the Expressway
Monitoring and Advisory System, is also important in ensuring optimum performance on the
roads. Yet, the best way to avoid disruption to traffic flow is to avoid accidents in the first
place. To that end, Singapore has introduced a plethora of road safety measures, shared best
practices, carried out public education and collaborated with key stakeholders to promote
safety on the roads. Engineering safety standards have also been developed for road and
vehicle design, and goods vehicles in Singapore must adhere to stipulated safety measures put
in place to enhance their safety on the roads.
Malaysia is committed to ensuring the safe and efficient travel of all categories of road users
through a safe system approach supported by the Malaysia Zero Fatality Vision as a long
term safety policy. This is supported by the Malaysia Road Safety Plan 2006-2010 which has
nine strategic thrusts with education, road and vehicle engineering initiatives and law
enforcement as its vital ingredients. Malaysia is currently preparing a 10 year road safety
action plan for the period 2011-2020 in support of the call for A Decade of Action for Road
Safety. The zero fatality policy envisages competent road users in safer vehicles and a safer
road environment as a catalyst to minimize injuries and fatalities on our roads.
The Malaysian economy is driven by the large movements of goods daily primarily on
Malaysia’s road network to and from ports, airports, storage facilities, factories and business
premises. Rail infrastructure is now being improved to increase model share by rail. Current
initiatives to improve the efficiency of cargo and passenger movements include the
mandatory introduction of the Safety, Health & Environment Code of Practice (SHE COP)
for commercial vehicle operators. Other important initiatives include a camera surveillance
enforcement system which is currently in the pipeline. As Chair of the Multi Sectoral
Working Group on Road Safety, Malaysia has been instrumental in securing the commitment
of ASEAN members in supporting the call for A Decade of Action for Road Safety.
Thailand has placed great importance in the multisectoral transport safety, covering all modes
of transport, currently focusing on land, waterways, and air. The Ministry of Transport has
announced the year 2010 to be the Year of Transport Safety. As road accidents and traumas
have multiplying impacts on socio-economic development and productivity through a
considerable loss of life and property, Thailand has developed
and implemented policies and
infrastructure solutions to protect all road users. It is developing safer and more sustainable
transportation as well as regulations and laws on safety and effective enforcement
through
collaborative
actions by all relevant authorities. In addition, Thailand aims to reduce logistics
costs through a modal shift from road to rail and waterways to achieve energy efficiency
and
better productivity
that will lead to a reduction in transportation costs.
For New Zealand, a key focus of government is on using regulation as an enabler, not a
constraint for business so as to contribute to a road transport system that moves people and
freight more efficiently, safely and cost effectively. Simplifying the road user charges
system, allowing the use of electronic distance recording, permitting heavier vehicle weights
for certain routes and purposes and a transport operator safety system all contribute to this
goal. The New Zealand Government is soon to announce a new road safety strategy.
After exchanging experiences and discussion of common interests, Parliamentary
representatives and business representatives workshopped potential initiatives to be taken
forward collectively.
As a first step, the meeting agreed Australia, co sponsored by Malaysia, New Zealand,
Singapore and Thailand, would take forward a research project through the APEC
Transportation Working Group that would, for Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore
and Thailand, document and exchange information on case studies and local experience on a
range of issues, including:
Strategies for the social marketing of road safety measures – particularly best practice
–
which have resulted in positive change and offered the prospect of further advances.
Approaches to planning, funding and priority setting for road infrastructure and for
network operations and management.
Standards for safety in and the safe use of vehicles, including use of emerging
technologies like digital tachographs and GPS based tracking systems which enable
safe driving and operating practices to be monitored.
This project would serve as a potential pilot for other interested APEC economies.
The meeting also endorsed a proposal put forward by business and industry representatives
for ABAC to work to identify practical and regulatory hurdles to improving the flow of goods
between economies and encourage the fast tracking of new and emerging safety and
environmental technologies for heavy vehicles. The meeting also welcomed the offer by
Australia to keep attending economies informed about Australia’s reform experience and, in
particular, to keep economies informed about the emerging International Standards
Organisation work, being led by Transport Certification Australia, to develop a new standard
for collaborative Intelligent Transport Systems Applications for Heavy Vehicles.
The meeting affirmed the need for Governments and industry to work together to ensure the
future sustainability of freight logistics services in the transport industry. The experiences
shared and proposed next steps agreed by Ministerial and business representatives will form
the basis for ongoing opportunities to enhance logistics safety and productivity across the
broader APEC community.
The meeting has also built on existing regional relationships on transport cooperation and
provided Australian jurisdictions with an insight into the challenges facing its near
neighbours in relation to truck safety and working across borders.
For media inquiries: Thomas Parkes, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional
Development and Local Government.
Phone 02 6274 8069 0413 276 830
Issued: 8 February 2010
List of Attendees - Regional Transport Ministerial Meeting,
8 – 9 February 2010 The Park Hyatt Hotel, Melbourne
Ministers and Ministerial Representatives
The Hon Anthony Albanese
Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Australia
H.E.Mr. Kuerkul Danchaivichit
Deputy Minister of Transport, Thailand
Mr Teo Ser Luck
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport, Singapore
Dato’ Suret Singh
Director General of the Malaysian Road Safety Department
Mr Wayne Donnelly
General Manager, Road & Rail, Ministry of Transport, New Zealand
Mr Jon Stanhope MLA
Chief Minister, Minister for Transport, Australian Capital Territory
The Hon Gerald McCarthy MLA
Minister for Transport Northern Territory
The Hon David Borger
Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport and Roads, New South Wales
The Hon Tim Pallas MP
Minister for Roads and Ports, Victoria
Mr Alan Tesch,
Associate Director General, Department of Transport & Main Roads, Queensland
Malaysian Delegation
Dr Wong Shaw Voon,
Director of the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research
Singapore Delegation
Ms Evonne YIU
Assistant Director, International Relations, Ministry of Transport, Singapore
Ms Shu Ling SEET, International Relations Executive International Relations and Security Ministry
of Transport, Singapore
Singapore Delegation Cont…
Mr Chuan Sam YAO
Adviser
Mr Say Jee LONG
Adviser
Ms Elizabeth Cheliah
Chair, Committee of Trade & Investment (CTI) - APEC
Thailand Delegation:
Ministry of Transport, Thailand:
Mr. Virachai Vongbusin
Deputy Minister’s staff
Mrs. Parichat Kotcharat,
Director, International Cooperation Bureau
Miss Pilailak Wichiranon
Chief, International Relations and Cooperation Group
International Cooperation Bureau
Mr. Chat Phaikaew
Transport Technical Officer
International Cooperation Bureau
Mr Chalor Kocharat
Director General
Marine Department
Office of Transport & Traffic Policy & Planning, Thailand
Mr.Chamroon Tangpaisalkit
Transport Technical Adviser
Land Transport Department, Thailand
Mr.Chaiwat Thongkamkoon
Senior Expert (Freight Transport), Land Transport Department
Australian Ministers Advisers
Ms Jessika Loefstedt
Assistant Adviser to Minister Albanese
Ms Moksha Watts
Adviser to Minister Albanese
Australian Ministers Advisers Cont…
Mr Gary Byles
Adviser to Minister Stanhope and Chief Executive, Department of Territory & Municipal Services
Mr Brett Brogan
Senior Adviser to Minister McCarthy
Mr Stuart Knowles
Transport Adviser to Minister McCarthy
Ms Marj Morrissey
General Manager, Sustainability, Strategic Planning and Policy
Department of Lands and Planning, Northern Territory
Mr Andrew Kouros
Adviser to Minister Borger
Mr David Putt
A/General Manager, Business Strategy, Customer & Regulatory Services (CARS)
Roads & Traffic Authority, New South Wales
Mr Phillip Halton
General Manager, Freight
Roads & Traffic Authority, New South Wales
Ms Donna Findlay
Roads Adviser to Minister Pallas
Ms Erika Jonsson,
Ports Adviser to Minister Pallas
Mr Don Nardella,
Parliamentary Secretary for Roads and Ports Victoria
Ms Gillian Miles
Deputy Secretary, Department of Transport Victoria
Mr Lachlan McDonald
Director, Intergovernmental Relations, Department of Transport Victoria
Mr Stephen Smith
Deputy Director, Intergovernmental Relations, Department of Transport Victoria
Mr Don Hogden,
Director, Vehicle Management and Safety, VicRoads
Mr Jim Betts, Secretary
Department of Transport – (will pop in during the afternoon)
Mr Gary Liddle
CEO, VicRoads – (will pop in during the afternoon)
Mr Lloyd Browne,
Speech writer, Department of Transport – (will attend for the Minister's presentation)
ABAC Representatives
Mr Lindsay Fox AC
Mr Geoff Brennan - Australia
Mr Mark Johnson – Australia
Mr John Denton – Australia
Tan Sri Dato Ir – Malaysia
Mr Tony Nowell – New Zealand
Mr Teng Theng Dar – Singapore
Dr Savaraj Sachchamarga – Thailand
Dr Twatchai Yongkittikiul – Thailand
Mr Ari Suss – Australia
Mr David McInness – Australia
Industry Members
Mr Trevor Martyn
Chair, Australian Trucking Association
Mr Tony McMullen
Chief Executive Officer, Truck Industry Council
Mr Michael Kilgariff
Chief Executive, Australian Logistics Council
Mr Nick Dimopoulos
Chief Executive, National Transport Commission
Mr Tony Friedlander
Chief Executive Officer, Road Transport Forum NZ
Mr Quek Keng Liang
Chairman, Singapore Logistics Association, Singapore
Ms Rosilawati Basir, CEO, Nationwide Express, Malaysia
Department of Infrastructure Representatives
Mr Mike Mrdak
Secretary, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development & Local Government
Ms Leslie Riggs
Executive Director, Infrastructure and Surface Transport Policy
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia
Mr Heath McMichael, APEC Branch
NEWS 
