O'Connor Damien: Road User Charges Bill — In Committee 
O'Connor Damien: Road User Charges Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:676;Page:21778] 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR (Labour) 
: 
 I came down to the Chamber not intending to speak on the Road User Charges Bill but I have been listening in my office to the debate and thought that if the opportunity arose I would just ask a few questions. We are on Part 3 and I was somewhat surprised when listening in my office to the debate because it seems that it is quite a complex bill. From a Government that has stood on a mandate and promises—empty as they may be—of reducing compliance and reducing regulations this is bizarre legislation. Anyone who reads through this— 
Hon David Carter 
: Is the member going to vote for it? 
Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR 
: In fact the farmers I say to the Minister of Agriculture David Carter will be absolutely flabbergasted to read this bill. There might be some who are watching this debate on Parliament TV and there may be some who are on the internet. They will not be able to download the bill because it is quite thick and they will not have broadband that is capable of it but anyway the farmers who were told that this Government would come in and reduce compliance costs will be shocked. 
Just picking up Part 3 I see that clause 48(1) states that the road-user charges collector may issue an assessment for unpaid road user charges “If the RUC collector forms the opinion …” which is obviously somewhat subjective and in subclause (2) there are the qualifications to forming the opinion. But none the less we have handed to an individual a quite significant power which we hope is never abused but there is an ability to step in here and make assessments. 
There will be many farmers up and down the country I suggest to Mr Carter who are running 3-tonne trucks 5-tonne trucks or bigger ones perhaps. They use them from time to time and on occasions they may forget that the road-user charges they have purchased have expired or they may have gone a few kilometres over and they are in the middle of the harvest season and for some reason they have not been able to get to the post office. Maybe there is not an agency close by that is open. They may be forced inadvertently to go over their road-user charges limit. 
The penalties in the bill are quite harsh. Let us be quite honest about this. This complex legislation designed to streamline the system we are told—and we are certainly supporting it on the basis of streamlining the system—is none the less a whole lot of regulation of bureaucracy and compliance costs. Although we as a Government were criticised for being the nanny State and for imposing unnecessary costs on industry this Government is no better. 
Let us get that on the record. This Government is no better at all because the reality is that we do need some regulations and we do need to have some guidance through legislation. There are double standards I guess. There is a word beginning with “h” that I am not allowed to use; yes I am allowed to use it. The hypocrisy of the situation is that a Government that claimed it would do no more in terms of regulations and compliance costs is having to do exactly the same things that the Labour Government had to do when it was in office and was unfairly criticised for. The difference is that the Labour Opposition when it understands the need for sensible regulation and guidance and sound legislation will support the Government from time to time and this is one of those occasions. But let us not kid ourselves that this legislation will not impose greater compliance costs greater obligations and a higher level of scrutiny on anyone using a heavy vehicle in this country. The National Government will say that is necessary. When we were in office of course National members said that it was unnecessary. 
I can see all the members over there are shaking their heads; well they should be anyway because they understand that. But here we have legislation that has been considered by the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee altered and improved drastically and it is designed to ensure that we have a fair system of road-user charges whereby owners of heavier vehicles pay more. I understand that some vehicle owners will pay considerably more and that for them will be an additional cost on their business that has been brought in by the National Government. The National Government is imposing greater costs on business. That is the reality of the situation that this legislation will lead to. Let us not kid ourselves otherwise.