Industry Update – June 2024

Executive Update
Budget, School Bus Service Update | Wage Increase | SMS Framework

Government Update
State Budget
I have recently attended a pre-budget roundtable with the Treasurer the Hon. Stephen Mullighan MP and a further roundtable yesterday with The Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Energy and Mining The Hon Tom Koutsantonis MP.

As demonstrated in the Budget, the Government’s current focus is on addressing the cost of living, housing, health, skills and early childhood challenges and initiatives.

Minister Koutsantonis yesterday expressed the Government and his Department’s strong commitment to and optimism for a (clean) resource lead future for SA. There is significant foresight and planning being undertaken, and related to this is the $5 million committed in 2024-25 to complete planning for bus and depot infrastructure to support transition to a zero-emissions public transport bus fleet. See full budget details here.

While disappointingly not included in this budget, we will continue to advocate for additional investment in regional bus services; this long overdue improved spending should be to be aligned with the Department’s upcoming regional bus service reviews.

School Bus Services
BusSA School Bus Service Committee Representatives Jared Kent, Jason Hanley and I recently met with with Department for Education STU Team in the first departmental lead School Bus Services Working Group meeting. The meeting was constructive and focused on the Terms of Reference and the practical review of the Driver Requirements Guideline and student drop off safety matters. The Department will soon reissue the Driver Requirements and associated student drop off guide. BusSA commend the Department in initiating this School Bus working group.

Further to this, BusSA will hold our next School Bus Service Committee meeting on Tuesday 30 July at 12.00pm via Zoom – Open to all members. The meeting will focus on:

The status of member’s current fleet, inc in relation to 25 year age limit and maintenance costs
Considering above, understand member’s view on requirements for a new bus, including bus and safety specifications to be recommended for the upcoming tender process
Understand new, non-traditional costs of running a school bus service

The full Agenda, Zoom invite and supporting documents will be sent to BusSA members prior.

Wage Determination – from 1 July 2024
National IR Manager Ian MacDonald has reported that following the determination of the Fair Work Commission last week to increase the minimum wage by 3.75%, all of the modern Awards have also increased.

This includes the Awards:

ma000063 The Passenger Vehicle Transportation Award 2020
ma000002 The Clarks – Private Sector Award 2020
ma000010 Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020

Copies of the draft determinations (Rates and Allowances) and other supporting material will be provided directly to BusSA members.

NHVR Survey – Closes 18 June | Safety Management System Framework
A reminder that the NHVR have released their current Safety Survey which will be used to gather valuable data and insights into how safety responsibilities are currently being managed across the industry. It will also let us see what has changed and improved over the last two years.

I encourage you to please complete the survey by the closing date 18 June 2024, via this link Start survey

As previously mentioned, in the absence of a State based Accreditation Regime, BusSA has commited to make a voluntary Safety Management System Framework available to support members and other operators enhance their safety systems where needed, associated with the NHVL Chain of Responsibility requirements.

We have now started sourcing information and expertise to start delivering this supporting Framework to BusSA members (and wider industry) in mid October, I will provide further details on this initiative as they become available.

As always, I encourage you to please contact me with any feedback or queries on these or any other matters impacting your bus and coach business.

Regards

Craig Spurr
Executive Director
E: cspurr@bussa.asn.au
M: 0433 553 875