- Cook Government working with industry to improve efficiency and reduce fuel use across WA's freight network
- Regional Airfare Zone Cap scheme fares to remain at current prices despite rising fuel costs, through additional government investment
- Larger road trains to be allowed along a key stretch of Great Northern Highway in the Wheatbelt to help reduce truck movements and get more goods to regional WA faster
- Cook Government continuing to consult with industry on how to maintain WA's supply chain resilience
The Cook Government will support Western Australia's transport and aviation industries to reduce costs and keep the State moving as global fuel security challenges continue.
Following consultation through the Industry Support Working Group chaired by Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti, the Cook Government will make several practical changes to support airlines to keep costs down for customers and help freight operators keep WA's supply chains strong.
The Cook Government will extend further support to airlines operating in regional WA to ensure fares under the current Regional Airfare Zone Cap(RAZC) scheme are maintained despite jet fuel prices continuing to rise.
The Cook Government will also cover additional fuel costs for airlines travelling on critical intra-regional routes.
This includes Aviar-operated routes between Broome to Derby, Broome to Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek, Kununurra to Halls Creek and Balgo, and Kununurra to Kalumburu, as well as Nexus-operated routes between Geraldton, Karratha, Port Hedland, and Broome.
The Cook Government is also permitting larger road trains to travel closer to Perth along Great Northern Highway for a three-month trial.
Under the changes, 53.5-metre triple-trailer road trains will be permitted to travel along Great Northern Highway between Wubin and Muchea with strict safety conditions for the vehicle, and drivers required to have a minimum of three years' experience driving vehicles of this length.
Triple-trailer road trains are currently not permitted to travel further south than Wubin when travelling into Perth, before needing to be broken down into smaller double-trailer road trains.
These changes will help improve productivity and reduce truck movements along this key route connecting Perth to the Wheatbelt, Murchison, Goldfields, Pilbara, and Kimberley regions.
The trial will not only improve freight efficiency by helping to get more equipment, food, and supplies to communities and industries in the north of the State but will help operators use less fuel by using bigger trucks to reduce overall truck movements.
These changes follow a recent decision by the Cook Government to permit 27.5-metre and 36.5-metre road trains to transport up to an additional 10 tonnes per load if they are carrying petrol, diesel, and/or fertiliser to certain priority regions.
The Industry Support Working Group is continuing to work with the freight industry to encourage the use of more electric trucks across the network as well as consulting with the dairy industry to identify opportunities for practical support measures.
As stated by Premier Roger Cook:
"The Cook Government is committed to supporting Western Australia's transport and aviation industries as global fuel security challenges continue.
"Ensuring airfares remain capped at current prices for regional residents will provide real
cost-of-living support for those who need it, while allowing larger road trains along a key stretch of Great Northern Highway will help more goods reach regional WA faster.
"We will continue to work with the transport industry to support their operations and help maintain WA's supply chain resilience."
As stated by Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:
"Our government is committed to working with the transport industry to ensure we keep Western Australia moving and our economy strong amid the ongoing fuel security impacts of the conflict in the Middle East.
"With fuel costs rising for our regional airlines, we're covering the costs so that they are not passed onto our regional residents, and they can continue to access affordable capped regional airfares.
"We've also listened to freight industry leaders and acted quickly to roll out common sense changes that will deliver fast results to improve productivity and fuel efficiency across our State's supply chain.
"We'll continue to monitor the situation closely and work with our transport industry to explore more ways to help streamline their operations and reduce fuel use."
