Parliament passes ‘chain of responsibility' reforms

The Heavy Vehicle National Law and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2016 was passed late yesterday evening, on Parliament's last sitting date for this year. The amendments are set to commence across all states and territories (other than Western Australia and the Northern Territory) in mid 2018.

The Bill was passed by Queensland Parliament (as the host jurisdiction for the Heavy Vehicle National Law). The amendments will automatically roll out to other participating jurisdictions by way of each state and territory applying the uniform law.

When will the changes commence?

The amendments will commence on a date set by proclamation. While this date has not yet been fixed, the National Transport Commission has proposed an implementation period of 18 months before the amendments come into effect to allow regulators and industry participants to educate themselves and their staff and to put in place systems to ensure compliance.