The Australian Logistics Council (ALC) has welcomed the decision by the Victorian Government to move towards distance based road user charging for all classes of vehicle in the state.
In a statement issued today, ALC said it supported the development of a national road user charging scheme that is coordinated through National Cabinet, with electric vehicle charging to be used as the pilot.
As recognised by Infrastructure Victoria in its August 2021 report, all road users, regardless of their vehicle type, need to pay road user charges necessary to constructing and maintaining roads that Australia needs concluded the ALC.
ALC CEO Brad Williams said the Victorian Government’s approach of working towards introducing distance based pricing for all vehicles, starting with zero and low emission vehicles that don’t pay fuel excise charges, is a positive step.
“Electric vehicles (EV) are a good starting point for road user reform. We need to capitalise on the learnings from the Victorian approach and develop principles that can be applied to road pricing across the country, said Williams.
“We can use the findings to inform the heavy vehicle road reform process, particularly how telematics and GPS data, already captured by the freight and logistics operators, can be used to determine distances travelled,” he said.
“It is time for change but it’s worth remembering the current system has worked well to date because it is nationally consistent, meaning that national supply chain organisations can optimise their operations efficiently and keep costs lower for consumers.”