ALRTA Fortnightly News: 21 February 2025

bp: Partner of the Week

Save up to 8.5cpl on diesel plus 150K bonus Qantas Points for your business with bp plus*

Unlock fuel savings & points with the bp plus business bonus. Now is a great time to fuel your business with a bp plus fuel card.
bp is pleased to offer all ALRTA members 8.5c per litres off diesel at over 470 bp National Diesel offer sites and National Extended Offer sites.

Sign up for a bp plus fuel card and as a Qantas Business Rewards member you’ll earn 20,000 bonus Qantas Points, plus triple Qantas Points for 7 months.  

Want more? Fill up with 15,000 litres or more within 6 months and receive 130,000 bonus Qantas Points.*

Don’t miss out on the bp plus business bonus.

Visit bpplus.com.au for more. *T&Cs apply 

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Use promo code: ALRTA

 #Enquire with ALRTA for full list of the bp National Diesel Offer sites and National Extended Offer Sites. ** To earn triple Qantas Points for the first 7 months, the association member must apply for a BP Plus account between 12.01am (AEDT) 1 February 2025 and 11.59pm (AEST) 31 July 2025, be approved for a BP Plus account during that period & become a Qantas Business Rewards(QBR) member (if not already a member) within 30 days of being approved for a BP Plus account. To receive an additional 130,000 bonus Qantas Points, buy at least 15,000 litres of any grade of unleaded and diesel fuel excluding Autogas and AdBlue (Eligible Fuel) with BP Plus in the first 7 months. Your business must hold an open BP Plus account to receive Qantas Points. For Qantas Points to be loaded successfully, the ABN associated with the BP Plus account must match your ABN used in your QBR account. The association member must have a valid ABN and must not have held a BP Plus account within the 24 months prior to the start of the Offer Period, be a govt-entity or similar public-sector business, be a BP-supplied distributor of automotive fuels, nor be subject to a strategic pricing arrangement with bp. The “first 7 months” is measured from the BP Plus account open date until the last day of the seventh (7th) calendar month after the account open date. The association member must not have any overdue amounts on its BP Plus account. Qantas Points will be awarded within 6 weeks of on-time BP Plus account payment of amounts owing monthly. BP Plus, BP Plus – Qantas Business Rewards Offer and Qantas. See full offer Terms Business Rewards Terms & Conditions apply. Terms & Conditions including privacy information. Promoter: BP Australia Pty Ltd (ABN 53 004 085 616)

Executive Director Update

Welcome to another ALRTA newsletter,

Its been a busy few weeks for the Secretariat.  I travelled to the Gold Coast for the LRTAQ Conference.  It was a thought provoking speaker line up including demonstrations of by the NHVR on roadside enforcement tools (hopefully Damian has recovered from having to drive over the scales), social media basics from Sam Noon and how to maximise the benefits of social media platforms for recruitment, advocacy and education, social licence to operate and how meat supply chain parties are addressing animal welfare concerns, importance of biosecurity and the need for roadside effluent disposal sites plus an dynamic presentation from Glen Cook, founder of the 'look up and live' campaign (which included a parody song!).  The event finished with a panel featuring Senator Susan McDonald, the Hon. Sean Dillon, Jared Seilor LRTAQ President and Gerard Johnson ALRTA President. 

Congratulations to all award winners at the Bull Carters Ball on the Saturday evening.  Athol Carter presented the second Icon of the Road Award to Tim Welk of Carmandale Transport, this award is in partnership with PACCAR and ALRTA. 

I travelled to Perth this week to attend a co-design workshop for the compensation package for the live sheep export phase out with Ben Sutherland LRTAWA President and Jan Cooper LRTAWA CEO.  The workshop highlighted the need to continue to advocate for industry for pragmatic measures to support operators affected by this announcement.  Jan, Ben and I took the opportunity to advocate for the Rural Transport Managed Deposit Scheme as well as investment in infrastructure for the West East Trade and improving loading, unloading and lairage facilities at Processors.  I will keep members abreast of these conversations as they arise. 

On the political and economic front, on February 18, 2025, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) reduced the cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.10%. This decision, the first rate cut since October 2020, aims to stimulate economic activity amid easing inflationary pressures. The RBA noted that while inflation has decreased from its 2022 peak, some labour market indicators suggest persistent tightness. Consequently, the Board remains cautious about further policy easing.

Following the RBA's announcement, major financial institutions have adjusted their rates. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) announced a reduction in home loan variable interest rates by 0.25% per annum and a decrease of up to 0.10% per annum on the Business Online Saver product. These changes aim to provide financial relief to both households and businesses, potentially lowering borrowing costs.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has defended a $25,000-per-head fundraising dinner, emphasizing the necessity of such events to compete with Labor's union support. He also promoted the Liberal National Party's policy proposal allowing small businesses an annual $20,000 tax deduction for client and employee meals, aiming to stimulate spending in the hospitality sector. This proposal could benefit small businesses within the livestock transport industry by reducing operational costs and encouraging client engagement.

With the Western Australia state election scheduled for March 8, 2025, there is speculation about the timing of the next federal election. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's upcoming spring wedding and recent media engagements have fueled discussions about a potential election announcement. Members are advised to stay informed, as election outcomes could influence policies affecting the livestock transport industry.

Last week ALRTA opened nominations for Rural Transport Rising Star Award, please send your nominations through with winners to be announced at the LBRCA ALRTA National Rural Carriers Convention.  If you haven't registered yet for the conference, please do so by following this link: https://www.lbrca.org.au/lbrca-events/conferences/.

Stay safe on the roads and until next time!

Rach 

Final Call: Share Your Stories & Photos

We’ve really enjoyed looking through the stories and photos that have come in over the past few weeks—it’s been great to see the history of our members and the industry in action. There have been plenty of good memories shared, and a few laughs along the way!

Because we’ve had such a good response, we’re keeping it open for a bit longer. If you’ve got a story, an old photo, or a moment worth sharing, now’s the time.

And the best story or picture will win a $250 fuel voucher donated by our Partner Lowes Petroleum Service.

Send them in by Friday, 7th March to office@alrta.org.au or message us on Facebook—whatever works best for you. Looking forward to seeing what else is out there!

Save the dates for 2025

• LRTAQ State Conference. 13-14 February 2025, Gold Coast Turf Club & Event Centre, QLD - MORE INFO HERE 
• LBRCA/ALRTA National Combined Conference. 4 – 5 April 2025, Thoroughbred Park, CANBERRA ACT -  REGISTER HERE 
• LRTASA State Conference. 13-14 June 2025, Adelaide SA 
• LRTAV State Conference. 8-9 August 2025, Move Museum, Shepparton, VIC - MORE INFO HERE  
• LRTAWA State Conference.  INFORMATION COMING SOON 

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