A two-week truck driver strike, beginning this morning, will virtually shut down Australia’s transport industry in a matter of days, says organiser Mick Pattell, from the National Road Transport Forum. The stoppage is a response to state and federal government changes including increased registration fees, fuel excise and new fatigue laws.
“Hopefully the government will come to the table fairly quickly and not allow this to happen to the public,” he said. “We’ve really got to do this to highlight the plight of this industry.”
Farm lobby group Agforce supports the Forum, but government spokesperson Paul Lucas, the Queensland Deputy Premier, says the stoppage is “unreasonable” and will not achieve what the truckers are after.
