Transmission eBulletin | May 2024

Winning really isn’t everything

The old cliché about just taking part rings true. Industry awards are designed to do many things, at the top of which is the chance to celebrate your team's achievements and reward hard work, boosting morale and motivation in the process.

Awards are also credibility-building, putting you in high esteem when it comes to attracting new recruits and retaining existing employees... [continue >>]

— Editorial by Roz Chivers | Executive Director, BIC

RVSA (Road Vehicle Standards Act) Survey

Thanks to all who completed the RVSA survey, an important factor impacting our supplier members.
Key messages covered 1) the distinct lack of communication, 2) the extremely slow approval time, and 3) the overly difficult review process. (E.g., the approval of a bus component can take three months, while a completed bus might take six.) Over-worked paperwork reviews lead to delays with receipt of new vehicles, which also affects other automotive sectors.

Key messages covered 1) the distinct lack of communication, 2) the extremely slow approval time, and 3) the overly difficult review process. (E.g., the approval of a bus component can take three months, while a completed bus might take six.) These issues lead to delays with delivery and operation of new vehicles (not unique to bus, but affect other automotive sectors).

Your feedback and solutions will go towards government to urge practical and meaningful policy reform, along with our response to the government's five-year RVSA, due this time next year.

National Road Safety Conference

The recent National Road Safety Conference in Melbourne was attended by over 70 Australian senior government and police officials, and Senator Carol Brown (Assistant Transport Minister). We discussed improvements to safety and reduction in road toll. Bus and coach key takeaways included:

• Increasing vehicle safety via faster ADR implementation (12 ADR changes in 2023. Normally we 2 or 3. Across all automotive sectors there were 26;
• Improving social behavior of drivers and other road users around heavy vehicles;
• Agreeing to share accident data to improve road safety strategies, and
• Improving Road Safety Education via a national road safety campaign.

Also of note:

• Reviewing rural road speed zones (state and territory level);
• Increased emphasis on the measures required to address driver fatigue;
• A mode shift to getting people out of cars and onto public transport;
• Out of the 4 million speeding, red light or incorrectly fitted seat belt infringements last year (nationally), only 500,000 fines were issued.
   

Bus Safety Working Group

Recently, the Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (DITRDCA) set up a Bus Safety Working Group to further improve safety at the regulatory level. Selected by government, the group comprises members from federal, state and territory governments, as well as the Bus Industry Confederation and key industry experts... [continue >>]
 

Have you booked your place at this year's first national IR seminar?

The seminar will be held on 4 July 2024 at the Kurrajong Hotel Canberra and feature two panels, Driving Workplace Gender Equality and Riding on the Same Bus: Can a tripartite Approach work? 

The event will also host the official launch of the BIC/APTIA Recruitment and Retention Policy Manifesto and Workplace Toolkit by Senator Tony Sheldon ALP and Tony Hopkins (BIC/APTIA).
A networking cocktail function will follow. Registrations close midnight, 16 June 2024.
 

“We were hoping that the bus and coach industry would be captured in the government’s Future Made in Australia announcement to address ongoing bus manufacturing and supply issues, but it didn’t eventuate.” - Roz Chivers

Coming up by 30 June: BIC membership renewals

We’re rounding up what's been a successful and also challenging year for the Secretariat and, as ever, we're grateful for the support of all our members. We hope you’ve seen value in our advocacy efforts, as well as the many industry resourses and special events only available to our members. Stay tuned for some new member opportunities available next year!

Thanks again for being part of the BIC community – we hope you’ll join us again next year. If you have any queries, please get in touch.
 

Stay in touch...

Since January, we've been rolling out improvements to our systems so that we can serve and engage with our members more efficiently. We welcome your feedback and suggestions on how to improve our communications, so please let us know what you think or touch base with us on LinkedIn.