Victoria’s freight sector is in disarray and the best the Andrews Labor Government can do is send a letter.
Confusion is rife at Victoria’s borders with New South Wales and South Australia. There’s no clear advice on how drivers are to be tested or which state’s rules they need to follow when it comes to isolation following tests.
This is causing the freight industry to grind to a halt, with trucks being turned away at the border. Supermarket shelves risk being emptied, with essential items being stuck at an arbitrary line on a map.
Minister for Ports and Freight Melissa Horne has had weeks to get this sorted, but she’s been silent until now despite increasing chaos. Melissa Horne needs to do more than send a letter – she needs to be actively working to clean this mess up.
At the moment drivers are breaking the rules on both sides of the border because the regulations don’t align.
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Ports and Freight, Roma Britnell:
“If Minister Horne thinks sending a letter is the best way to deal with this, she’s got no idea. Because even the mail isn’t being allowed through.
“Transport drivers at the South Australian border are being told testing conducted in Victoria isn’t good enough and it has to be done through that state’s health department, but testing on the border is running out.
“Businesses have said to me if they’re forced to go down the line of engaging their own testing it will cost them up to $3000 a week.
“Melissa Horne needs to work with her interstate counterparts to sort this out, to make sure vital goods are able to flow freely across state borders.”
