HVIA says leave us out of Victorian Engineers Registration Bill

Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) says the Victorian Engineers Registration Bill 2018 should exclude mechanical engineers involved in the road-going automotive industries, and particularly the heavy vehicle industry.

HVIA’s Policy & Government Relations Manager Greg Forbes says regulation of the heavy vehicle industry should happen at a national level and should be managed by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) and the Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities (DIRDC).

“Over the last several decades Governments of both political persuasions, and across all jurisdictions, have been working to harmonise the regulation of the heavy vehicle industry across the country,” Mr Forbes said.

“Historically, the the heavy vehicle industry has been closely regulated by State transport and roads authorities. Differences in the rules between states have been problematic for an industry like ours that operates across state boundaries.

“The implementation of the NHVR has been a widely supported step towards this. Introducing an additional layer of regulation at a state level will only add cost to the industry and stifle innovation rather than promote it.”

Mr Forbes says the NHVR has an ongoing program of work to standardise arrangements across the country.

“A revised code of practice for vehicle modifications and a national approved vehicle examiners scheme will govern the accreditation of all staff who assess and certify modification of both light and heavy vehicles” he said.

“Introducing a Victorian based registration scheme would be a backward step and would add unnecessary red tape for no benefit.”