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Mr THOMAS GEORGE (Lismore) [6.12 p.m.], by leave: Yesterday in the House it was pointed out that bureaucracy creates havoc in country communities when people seek results to keep their businesses running. Today I wrote to the Minister for Roads, the Hon. Eric Roozendaal, about an issue brought to my attention by Mr David Reynolds of Goonellabah regarding difficulties he experienced in undertaking a driving test at the Lismore office of the Roads and Traffic Authority [RTA]. Mr Reynolds was sitting in a truck waiting to start his truck licence test. When the examiner climbed aboard he advised Mr Reynolds that the test could not be undertaken due to the absence of a lap sash seatbelt, although it is not a standard requirement for that type of vehicle.
The vehicle complied with the standard of the manufacturer and the RTA, and members of the public who are passengers are covered by third party insurance. Yet the examiner advised Mr Reynolds that he was unable to proceed with the test. Mr Reynolds said that to satisfy the examiner's request the owner of the vehicle would have to go against manufacturing standards for that type of vehicle to have an appropriate seatbelt installed. Apparently the licence Mr Reynolds was trying to obtain is similar to a bus drivers licence, which does not require seatbelts for passengers—nor are there regulations requiring seatbelts in buses. The only difference between a truck licence and a bus licence is that a doctor must verify the health of the driver because of passenger safety issues.
Fortunately, as a pensioner Mr Reynolds was not charged for the test. However, the inconvenience caused was most frustrating to Mr Reynolds. He had to make private arrangements to obtain another truck loaded to a certain capacity to meet the testing requirements. I am sure that Mr Reynolds conveyed to the examiner his annoyance at that imposition. The examiner outlined the alternative of undertaking training with a specific truck driving school. However, Mr Reynolds was previously a truck driver and had plenty of experience and, therefore, did not require the training. Also, he did not wish to outlay considerable expense for the course, which is estimated at $400 for a one-off hire or $1,000 to undertake the course.
This experience prevented Mr Reynolds from gaining employment. A potential employer was paying for Mr Reynolds to obtain his licence as he needed a relief driver and thought that Mr Reynolds could fill the position. I believe that Mr Reynolds has been provided with the Tow Truck Industry Council licence. To understand the situation, Mr Reynolds made representations to WorkCover, which informed him that it was not an occupational health and safety issue. If this is an RTA policy it needs to be examined. This is not the first time this problem has been brought to my attention. Although a truck passes its registration and has the right seatbelts, an examiner may get into the truck and refuse to conduct the test because the truck does not have a lap sash seatbelt, which is not an occupational health and safety issue. This is bureaucracy gone mad. It needs to be sorted out, and I call on the Minister for Roads to resolve the problem.