National Road Freighters Association
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Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous 2012 from the team at the NRFA we look forward to your support in 2012
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Below is a great report written by Josie Heading off Just Grounds Community. We believe it is well worth the read and please click on the links within as it highlights some of the events in Canberra...
Hello All,
Words cannot describe the experience of the Convoy to Canberra, my heart swells with pride to have been a representative of our area.
The media did NOT report the true story on the grounds at Canberra. On Monday 22nd August I rang Rodney and had the phone held over the bridge as the two of the three lanes were bumper to bumper with vehicles circling parliament:- the noise of the horns, the cheering of the people (2000 + crowd applauding the speakers on the podium) were mind blowing. Rodney couldn’t make sense of it, because what he was hearing on the phone and what was being telecasted at the same time on the television was so contradictory, it was nothing less than deceitful.
I witnessed cars which were just commuting on the roads below the bridge, turn their lights on and put their flickers on and join into the convoy lanes, blowing their horns just as loud as what the decorated cars were.
Those reporting didn’t do their jobs properly, they ‘assumed’ it was a trucking convoy, they ‘assumed’ we were planning to blockade the roads and when that didn’t happen it was deemed a failure.
The true story is it wasn’t just a ‘truckies’ convoy and the Federal Police were involved right from the beginning to make our passage as least disruptive to the Canberra traffickers as possible.
The sad thing is that the Convoys were split, 1-5 Convoys were left at the Epic Grounds and we were bussed into Parliament and 6-11 Convoys were left to circle the grounds. The numbers combined WOULD have blocked traffic and WOULD have caused disruption, but this was never the intention of the organisers.
Those in parliament made the grave mistake of categorising the assembled crowd in their grounds as ‘typical’ protestors, they didn’t even take the time to look out their windows and see that our signage on the placards were NOT degrading like those displayed in previous rallies, the media when reporting even used the previous rally’s placards as ‘ours’ which is again misleading and incorrect. “Ditch the Witch" was a sign from the previous rally two weeks previous.
The assembled crowd outside on the lawns were representation from Australia Wide, dignified, taxpaying Australians, business people from all Industries collectively joined to deliver the message to those in power that “the unconsulted decisions they were making were sending our businesses broke, hence a domino effect of more jobs lost and more people on the welfare line. We have no confidence in the present Government and want to go to an election.”
The response from those in the Driver’s seat of this country is nothing less than arrogant, insulting and disgusting:-
Anthony Albanese Labour MP branded us protestors as “ Convoy of no consequence”, where upon the rest of the parliament laughed and jeered in agreement. If you listen to the recording you can hear the booing from the gallery, these were the voices of those from the protest who decided to witness the goings on in parliament first hand, they witnessed the downright disgusting and disrespectful behaviour of these ‘common’ people in charge of running this country.
http://www.2gb.com/index2.php?option=com_newsmanager&task=view&id=9842
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2011/s3299554.htm
Labour MP Kelvin Thomson showed his disdain with an ageist remark: “I saw a couple of Winnebagos and a couple of caravans. I thought it was a convoy of incontinence, to be perfectly honest.”
Goodness me, this man is in charge of making decisions in the best interests of the Australians who pay his wages.
http://www.2ue.com.au/blogs/2ue-blog/labor-treating-voters-with-contempt/20110825-1jbv9.html
Green Leader Bob Brown:- “ The convoy of No Confidence is a ‘flop’ “. Green Senator Scott Ludlam interview.
http://www.6pr.com.au/spirited-challenge-to-greens/20110822-1j6m6.html
Media slur as that from Paul Syvrett :- “Motley convoy of No Confidence degenerates into a caravan of crackpots”
After reading/ listening to the responses from those in Power of this Country and certain Media outlets, I would like to add that there is ‘good’ media coverage as well which has come out swinging in our favour. We have ALL been on talk back shows and there is an outstanding majority of "no confidence" in the way this Government is conducting it’s business, the general public wants "an election".
What will happen though if this ‘freedom’ of reporting is blanketed as well?(we have already been witness to this to some degree).
How do YOU feel about your representatives, who took your message to Canberra, being treated with such arrogance?
Nothing has changed, the hole is getting deeper with more and more bills/ legislations being passed in their hundreds as every day ticks by.
This Government is on a railroad of destruction and after listening to the stories from every part of the Country, we are in very serious trouble as a Nation, we are being legislated out of production, existence and lifestyle we know as the 'lucky country'.
Thanking you all for your well wishes and support,
Kindest regards,
Josie.
Chopper footage of Convoy 2 at Charters Towers!
http://justgroundsonline.com/forum/topics/the-supporters-convoy-of-no-confidence
Footage of Convoys etc.
http://mags118.blogspot.com/2011/08/convoy-of-no-confidence-in-canberra.html
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NRFA submission to the Treasury: Ken Henry
Over the last couple of months the NRFA Treasurer, Peter Whytcross has been working on a submission to the Australia's Future Tax System Review Panel, titled a PROPOSAL FOR A FUEL REBATE TRADE OFF TO REPLACE CURRENT REGISTRATION CHARGES.
Peter submitted the proposal and it is now on the Treasury website at,
http://taxreview.treasury.gov.au/content/submissions/post_14_november_2008/NRFA_20090917.pdf
Please check it out and post your thoughts on the Forum page or on the Justgroundsonline under the NRFA group, I commend Peter on the work he has done and also support the concept, this is in line with the NRFA policy to produce solutions to problems created by Government and Bureaucracy, and is the first of many.
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COUNTING OF HOURS (in work diaries)
Regulations and enforcement policies are the same in each State, however there are inconsistent rulings and infringements issued by enforcement officers who do not fully understand the new regulations.
The main problem was the “counting of hours” and the inconsistency between enforcement agencies
The regulations refer to “any 24hr period” (e.g. maximum work hrs permitted in any 24hrs period) the officers cannot start counting a 24 hr period in the middle of a rest break.
They cannot randomly choose a time and count backwards or forwards.
Enforcement must find the last Major rest break and count forward.( Major rest break is a period of not less than 5 hours)
Drivers should be aware that counting of work hours after a 7hr consecutive break does not “reset” the 24 hour rule
Drivers must still work under the “any 24 hr” rule.
Thank you to NRFA member Douglas Maddick for prompting me to put this on the website.
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