NHVR and RMS – The long road ahead – May 2018 (PDF version)

Yesterday (29 May 2018) your RMS delegates, with PSA/CPSU NSW staff and the Executive met with representatives of both RMS and NHVR in the first ever tripartite meeting regarding the proposed transition of Heavy Vehicle Regulatory functions into the NHVR.

The meeting was productive and served to confirm a lot of information provided already to members about the issue A brief summary of discussions is as follows:

Transition is Miles Away

RMS and the NHVR have commenced the first of three stages of the transition – what they call their ‘due diligence’. Basically this means they will identify what it is the COI Directorate does, what should/could stay with RMS and what goes to NHVR. This includes establishing the tasks, then the properties, the legal frameworks and the number of staff. None of this is yet known by any party. It is only then they can develop a proposal as to how the transition could occur, and then proceed to implement it. Conservatively it is estimated the first stage of this process will take until early/mid 2019, and all parties were certain no transfers to NHVR would occur before July 2020 – more than two years away.

This may involve legislative changes and there are further decisions regarding State based functions that will remain the prevue of the RMS. HVIS is one of several examples.

Members should keep in mind; there is also a Federal and State election, as well as a review of the National Heavy Vehicle legislation that may affect the decision making of Governments and/or the NHVR.

It is Voluntary, not Conscription

NHVR again repeated that when (or even if) the possibility of transferring to it eventuates; this will be voluntary for staff. They do not want officers forced to it.

Other States Serve as Little Guide

South Australia and Tasmania have now had your equivalent roles transferred to the NHVR. The processes undertaken in those States however should provide some comfort. In SA there were 16 Inspectors with the equivalent of the RMS. All applied and all were accepted through an expression of interest scenario. It was determined that 16 positions was insufficient and a further 7 were recruited externally. Mechanical qualifications were considered highly desirable in this process and dependent upon the amount of mechanical knowledge that will be utilised in the work.

In Tasmania of the 15 Inspectors, 12 positions were to be created with NHVR and the remainder staying in the RMS equivalent. All of those internal applicants that applied were successful  however less than 12 did so, and then and only then NHVR turned to external recruitment.

Same Goes for “off road” Employees

Both NHVR and RMS indicated the same processes and timelines exist for other roles in the CaRS Directorate. Some functions will be split, some will go and some will stay.

The details of the proposal will be known upon completion of the due diligence process.

Transition of Staff from Other Heavy Vehicle Jurisdictions & Superannuation

Recruitment in South Australia and Tasmania saw everyone that wanted to transition accepted by the NHVR. The assessment was more of a suitability assessment rather than an over the top merit based application. This may provide some members with some comfort who haven’t been through job interviews for many years.

In South Australia there were no employees transferring across that were participants in the defined benefits superannuation scheme and consequently no amendment to that scheme was sought or made.

In Tasmania this could not occur due to the rules of their scheme.

Both the NHVR and the PSA/CPSU NSW have made inquiries over the last few weeks and confirmed that the NSW scheme can have a new employer included and NHVR intend to make this application at the appropriate time.

Heavy Vehicle Regulation Funding

Previous funding for Heavy Vehicle regulation was from the states with a freeze placed upon the amount the NHVR gave the RMS for those functions. That freeze led to a short fall in the funding of NSW regulatory operations.

The NHVR have indicated that post 1 July 2018 their funding will be directly through a component of vehicle registration rather than via the States. They believe this will provide them with a greater degree of budgetary certainty in the future.

Moving forward

All parties have agreed to meet together on a six monthly basis at this time in order to share concerns and provide information about developments. This appears to be one of the more genuine attempts to consult with this Union and its members from an employer.

As the time to transition gets closer, the more that the PSA/CPSU NSW will be able to discuss the operational issues with respect the transition i.e. inspector numbers, locations, facilities and work practices.

The PSA/CPSU NSW will continue to highlight the vital work that you undertake in the regulation of heavy vehicles in NSW and how you do the heavy lifting for other jurisdictions as well. The PSA/CPSU NSW will continue advocate for the continued level of service that NSW road users require for the proper regulation of heavy vehicles.

Look out for member bulletins and workplace meetings where you can ask questions of PSA representatives.