THE Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) says Austroads’ “unrealistic” proposal to dramatically increase heavy vehicle registrations for older vehicles will hurt farmers and small businesses and is strongly urging the state government not to adopt the recommendation.
VFF President Emma Germano said while many farmers were supportive of the move to more environmentally friendly and safer trucks, the proposal to increase heavy vehicle registrations on older vehicles was inequitable.
“This proposal will disproportionately impact farmers who often use trucks to travel short distances and only at certain times of the year, such as harvest. In some cases we could see some trucks costing up to $20,000 to register,” she said.
“Austroads has failed to understand the far-reaching impacts of this proposal for truck owners.
“Put simply, the reality is this would make heavy vehicle ownership unaffordable for many small businesses and farmers and will greatly impact transport costs for farm businesses.”
Ms Germano urged the government to consider other options to modernise the state’s heavy vehicle fleet, such as financial incentives.
