Staff Writer

September is typically one of the busiest months for the Victorian Transport Association as we gear up for one of the transport industry’s biggest events on the calendar.

It’s around this time that women and men from our sector are dusting off their dinner suits and shopping for new evening gowns in readiness for the Australian Freight Industry Awards and celebrating the achievements of our great industry over the past 12 months.

Coronavirus may have diminished our capacity to gather in large numbers to celebrate the awards, but it certainly hasn’t diminished our ability to acknowledge the incredible efforts of operators, transport workers and suppliers of our industry.

In fact, celebrating transport operators and their achievements is arguably more important than ever in view of the phenomenal efforts of our industry to operate safely, efficiently and productively during a global pandemic.

So just as coronavirus hasn’t prevented the freight industry from carrying out its essential work, it certainly won’t prevent us from showcasing the achievements of the past year.

As they say, the show must go on!

If you haven’t already done so I would encourage you to participate in this great celebration by nominating for the awards and joining our virtual presentation on Sunday 20 September.

We invite members and freight and logistics companies and suppliers to nominate for any of the seven categories being contested including Female Leadership Award (sponsored by Viva Energy Australia), Personality of the Year Award (sponsored by CMV Truck & Bus), Investment in People Award (sponsored by Logical Staffing Solutions), Application of Technology Award (sponsored by Transport Certification Australia), Young Achiever Award (sponsored by Daimler Truck & Bus), Best Practice Safety Award (sponsored by Gallagher), and Sustainable Environment Award (sponsored by NTI).

These awards are a terrific way of showcasing the outstanding contribution of freight and logistics operators, and most importantly their people, to our industry, our economy and our high standards of living.

Coronavirus has amplified this vital contribution by demonstrating the value of our industry and its workers to people all over Australia.

Confined to their homes during lockdown, Australians have relied on us to deliver their groceries and other essential goods, and they have seen first-hand supply chains in action as operators and their customers rallied to re-stock depleted shelves in the face of unprecedented consumer demand.

It’s critical that we continue to remind Australians of how essential we are as an industry, and the Australian Freight Industry Awards are an effective and influential way of showcasing our great achievements, so we urge you to get involved.
Equally important is celebrating these achievements, which the VTA’s gala AFIA dinner and presentation has so successfully done for over 30 years.

I invite you to register for our virtual AFIA presentation celebration from 7.30-8.45pm on Sunday 20 September, where we will livestream our announcement of the winners of each of our seven award categories and present them with their Australian Freight Industry Award.

This is a significant forum for recognising excellence and outstanding achievements and we’re hoping for as many people as possible to register for this free event and raise a glass in support of their fellow transport workers.

In keeping with previous presentations, the VTA is organising a number of high-profile musical performances to entertain viewers on the livestream — as previous attendees would attest to, the AFIAs wouldn’t be complete without a song or two!

You can nominate for an award and register for the free livestream presentation at www.afiawards.com.au

I would also like to acknowledge and thank TWUSUPER and Viva Energy Australia for their generous support of the AFIAs over many years as our major sponsors, as well as the individual award category sponsors mentioned before.

Like many recognition programs and events, these awards rely on sponsorship to be effectively run, and we really appreciate the value and contribution of all our sponsors to making these awards as successful as they are.

I look forward to sharing details of this year’s AFIA winners and hope you can join us in a few weeks for our livestream celebration of our industry, and the people who make it great.

Peter Anderson
CEO, VTA