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National Compliance and Enforcement Bill

The Queensland Government has passed the Transport Legislation Amendment Act (no. 43) 2007 based on the National Road Transport Reform (Compliance and Enforcement) Bill 2003*. The Bill was developed by the National Transport Commission in conjunction with representatives from the federal, state and territory road transport agencies, industry groups and other stakeholders.

In April 2008, this legislation was strengthened. See the mass dimension and loading page for information about how these changes may impact you.

For further information about compliance and enforcement view the fact sheets below.

What is the National Compliance and Enforcement Bill?

The Bill provides a nationally consistent framework to improve compliance with, and enforcement of, safe road transport practices.

Its purpose is to make positive changes to the on-road behaviour of everyone involved in the transport industry. People in the chain of responsiblity who are in a position to influence driver compliance with transport laws can be held accountable under the Bill.

Heavy vehicles are trucks and buses with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of more than 4.5 tonnes.

The Bill details:

who enforcement officers are and what powers they have
what you can be held liable for and evidence requirements
how recognition of powers and sharing of information between jurisdictions works
administrative and court-based penalties and sanctions.

These apply across all areas where Queensland currently has chain of responsibility offences that allow investigations and enforcement to occur, including matters relating to heavy vehicle fatigue and dangerous goods.

What does it do?

The primary objectives of the Bill are to:

improve compliance outcomes for road safety, infrastructure and the environment
minimise the adverse impacts of road transport on the community
minimise unfair competitive advantage within the heavy vehicle industry.

The key elements of the Bill include general compliance and enforcement provisions, as well as special provisions to address the chain of responsibility for duties and offences for heavy vehicle mass, dimension and load restraint.

For more information, view the National Compliance and Enforcement Reforms in Queensland Discussion Paper (PDF**, 171KB).

Measurement adjustment

The measurement adjustment started on 1 July 2006 and affects the on-road practices for transport inspectors. Implementation of measurement adjustment (PDF**, 149KB)

Chain of responsibility forum report

The chain of responsibility forum report (PDF**, 479KB) from February 2006 is available.

Contact us

For further information about the compliance and enforcement project, please email the project team at: qtceproject@transport.qld.gov.au.

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Fact sheets

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Last updated 07 August 2009