Under Australia’s federal system of government, states and territories regulate transport operation, safety standards, weights and dimensions. In the past, differences between these regulatory systems meant that interstate road and rail operators faced inconsistent road rules, licence categories, registration classifications, charges, vehicle standards and driving hours, creating unnecessary inefficiency and cost.

The National Road Transport Commission (NRTC) was formed by inter-governmental agreement in 1991 to develop and coordinate regulatory reform for nationally consistent road transport policies and laws. This was extended into rail and inter-modal transport in 2004 when it became the National Transport Commission (NTC).

Inter-Governmental Agreement for Regulatory and Operational Reform for Road, Rail and Intermodal Transport (0.71 MB)

As an independent statutory body, NTC develops and submits reform recommendations to the Australian Transport Council (ATC) of federal, state and territory Transport Ministers for approval. NTC also plays a role in co-ordinating and monitoring implementation of approved reforms.

In developing reforms NTC must, amongst other things, give consideration to impacts on infrastructure and regional and remote areas. We take a leadership role nationally by:

• providing a vision of how the challenges of the future will be met, through pricing, regulatory and operational approaches; and
• continually searching for improvements in national transport while refusing to settle for the lowest common denominator.

Funding for NTC is contributed by all governments with states and territories contributing 65 per cent, and the Commonwealth Government providing 35 per cent. An independent review of regulatory reforms implemented to the end of 2003 found net benefits to the economy from transport reform of $400 million. Reforms to date have served this purpose well, but Australia’s transport system must continue to improve to meet the challenges of a massive forecast increase in passenger and freight movement.

National Transport Commission Act_2003  (93.67 KB)

In an historic agreement reached in May 2008, ATC agreed to begin a program of national reform to address significant national challenges across all modes – passenger and freight – including climate change, safety, efficiency, congestion and the skills crisis. This reform program will modernise Australia’s road, rail, air and sea transport systems to deliver safe and efficient outcomes and encourage future growth in a carbonconstrained economy. This signals a new beginning for transport reform in Australia.

In accordance with the NTC Act, the NTC is reviewed every 6 years to determine its future role. The NTC was reviewed in 2009 by an independent panel. The findings and recommendations of this review were endorsed by the Council of Australian Governments on December 7 2009.

The COAG communique endorsing the NTC Review outcomes can be found HERE.

The review panel's report and findings can be accessed HERE.

The NTC's submission to the NTC Review can be accessed HERE.