Newsroom

December 16, 2021

[et_pb_section fb_built="1" _builder_version="3.22"][et_pb_row _builder_version="3.25" background_size="initial" background_position="top_left" background_repeat="repeat"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="3.25" custom_padding="|||" custom_padding__hover="|||"][et_pb_post_title author="off" categories="off" comments="off" featured_image="off" _builder_version="3.0.105" title_text_align="center" title_text_color="#273775" title_font_size="35px" text_orientation="center" title_text_shadow_style="preset2"][/et_pb_post_title][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" _builder_version="4.6.5" text_font="Arial||||||||" hover_enabled="0" sticky_enabled="0"]Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) candidate for Herbert, Clynton Hawks, says Senator Susan McDonald’s response to KAP’s calls for regulatory changes that would enable diesel trucks to continue hauling without the Adblue additive was missing the point and characteristic of the “head-in-the-sand attitude” of the Federal Government toward this issue from the beginning.

Mr Hawks has said that Senator McDonald’s criticism that turning off the emission system would be costly, and potentially void warranties, was fully known to anyone in the industry.

“My family has been in the transport business for five generations, beginning with a bullock train on the Darling Downs, and our industry is fully aware of the cost and implications of turning off the emissions systems on modern diesel trucks,” Mr Hawks said.

“Yes, it is a drastic and potentially costly thing to do, but at the end of the day, do we want to see goods moved around this country or not?

“Senator McDonald’s comparing of the current supply crisis facing Adblue to the hoarding of toilet paper during the early part of the
pandemic trivialises the issue.”

Mr Hawks said it was pleasing that Senator McDonald agreed with KAP that transport industries needed the flexibility to deal with the Adblue shortage.

“All we are saying is that, right now, give the transport operators the option of disabling the system, which would require a legislative amendment,” Mr Hawks said.

“Transport operators will know if this is the best option for them to keep their fleet on the road, but right now they don’t have that option – so where is the flexibility?” Mr Hawks said the fact that KAP was even calling for this option reflected the seriousness of the situation.

“The Federal Government is trying to play politics on an issue that should’ve been quietly dealt with months ago,” Mr Hawks said.