Chain of Responsibility grant to improve safety in the heavy vehicle industry

$1.7 million is being invested towards funding the development and delivery of Chain of Responsibility (CoR) training and education projects that will enhance safety throughout the heavy vehicle industry within the supply chain. 

According to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, the funding will support businesses that use heavy vehicle transport to deliver tailored training programs focused on the CoR. 

Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Carol Brown states that the funding is an exceptional opportunity for businesses to improve their safety practices. 

“The Australian Government is committed to creating a safer heavy vehicle industry, and key to this an understanding from all relevant parties in the supply chain on how they influence safety,” she states. 

“This grant scheme will see successful organisations access funding to provide greater training and education in primary duty responsibilities across the sector ultimately delivering safer transport and roads.” 

The Assistant Minister reveals that applicants will be assessed against a range of measures to ensure productive outcomes. 

“We are focused on businesses’ capability to deliver quality training, the reach of their audience, their capacity to deliver each project, principles about the primary duty or executive due diligence duty and how each project will address a gap in existing training,” she says. 

“We welcome applications that meet these criteria and will help improve compliance across the supply chain.” 

Grants will be awarded to projects aimed at educating participants on how to improve the safety of heavy vehicle transport activities, while priority will be given to projects that focus on ‘off-road’ parties in the CoR, particularly for industries where there is a lack of existing training resources. 

Additionally, preference will be given to proposals that also guide executives to use due diligence to ensure that a business discharges its primary duty. 

“Projects under the CoR grant scheme will need to focus on ensuring the delivery of training to manage risks and hazards in transport activities as required under primary duty obligations,” NHVR Chief Executive Officer Sal Petroccitto said. 

Successful applicants will be able to access up to $300,000 of funding. 

The CoR provision in the Heavy Vehicle National Law ensures all parties that work with heavy vehicles, from the business that employs a driver to the place where goods are delivered, are accountable for safety. 

An executive of a business that is a party in the CoR must use due diligence to ensure that the business complies with that provision. 

“All parties in the chain have a responsibility to identify, assess and manage or eliminate risks within their transport activities. We want this funding round to deliver state-of-the-art education across the sector,” CEO Petroccitto says. 

“We look forward to seeing tangible, targeted training and education campaigns delivered through this grant.” 

The funding will be administered by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR). Submissions open on Tuesday, 11 April 2023 and close at 5pm AEST Friday, 5 May 2023.