Over recent months, our members have hopefully noticed that we have been more actively engaging with them on a broad range of topics. Of course, the National Industry Conference is our major engagement activity, but we have also been touching base in other ways…
Our regular member surveys ensure that the information and advice we provide to government on policy and regulatory changes accurately reflects the realities for the industries.
We held several roundtables in mid- to late-2023 to help inform our submissions and discussions with the NSW Bus Industry Taskforce. These provided a goldmine of information that we draw upon in our advocacy with the Australian and state and territory governments, along with key agencies such as the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, National Transport Commission and Austroads.
Our first interactive Technical Meeting held earlier this month attracted 70 participants from across suppliers and operators. Participants were informed about a wide range of policy and technical changes that have implications for the broader industry and were able to seek clarification and provide feedback. At the end of the month, we are having our first Suppliers’ Group Meeting of the year with a broad array of topics up for discussion. Similar meetings with operators and energy and infrastructure group members will take place in March.
We have also reformed or refreshed a few committees, including the Technical, Environment and Safety Committee, the Zero Emissions Bus Committee and the Events committee, all of which will be busy providing advice and assistance to the secretariat on behalf of the industry.
In January, our new National Communications Manager, Andrea Luquesi Scott, joined the team. Andrea is modernising the way we communicate with our members and stakeholders and building us a new website with some exciting new features.
All of this work is aimed at ensuring that advocacy is impactful and represents the needs and challenges of our members. With the industry being so diverse, we need to ensure that we draw upon diverse perspectives, experiences and insights, and that our advocacy is enriched by the collective knowledge of the industry.
Of course, you don’t have to wait for one of the scheduled engagements to talk with us and seek our assistance and advice. The secretariat is only a phone call or email away.
Roz Chivers
Executive Director, BIC