Senator Glenn Sterle | Politician
Senator Glenn Sterle
Address: Unit G2 & G3 150-152 Riseley Street Booragoon WA 6154 Perth, WA, Australia
Website: https://glennsterle.com.au
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25.01.2022 Good morning from the Pilbara! We've hit the road today after spending the night at Auski. More on that and some other rest areas we visited in the Pilbara later. Thought I'd give you an update on where we're at now and take the opportunity to thank Heather Jones from Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls Inc. for having me!... We've had many good chats about the issues that confront the industry and what needs to change to make it more safe, viable, sustainable and profitable. If we want to see change become a reality, its up to all of us who work in the transport industry or represent those who work in the industry to work together. We've got a lot of work to do but for now, I'm looking forward to the drive back to Karratha and continuing to push for meaningful change in our industry with people like Heather and her magnificent organisation! Western Roads Federation NT Road Transport Association SARTA Victorian Transport Association Tasmanian Transport Association Queensland Trucking Assn Ltd Road Freight NSW NatRoad Australia Australian Trucking Association National Road Freighters Association Inc. Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association Transport Workers Union - TWU WAVE To A Truckie Trucking Support Agency / Truckies Club Tones Truckin Stories Wimdoi - Women in Male Dominated Occupations & Industries Volvo Group Australia Mack Trucks Australia Volvo Trucks Australia Big Rigs National Road Transport Newspaper ATN Diesel magazineOwner Driver Transport & Logistics News Australia
25.01.2022 After 3 and a half days of driving, we have made it back from Kununurra safe and sound. Doesn't mean the work stops there though! Here's my offsider Cam Dumesny, CEO of the Western Roads Federation and I washing the Waste to Wages truck before we take it back to Freo. Thank you to the sponsors and all who have followed this very successful project. Stay tuned for details on the Waste to Wages Roadtrip 2021! ACFS Port Logistics KEYS - The Moving Solution Revive Wunan Foundation East Kimberley Job Pathways Senator Louise Pratt Patrick Dodson Linda Burney Joel Fitzgibbon MP Bill Shorten WA Labor Australian Labor Party Big Rigs National Road Transport Newspaper NITV
25.01.2022 Today is R U OK Day, a National day of action where Australians are reminded to reach out to ask, Are you OK? if someone in your world is struggling with life’s ups and downs. This year has been extremely challenging for everyone and we have all had to adjust to the way we live and work due to Covid. Throughout the pandemic, I have been working with truck drivers and many transport operators and associations to ensure that our essential transport workers have been able to ...continue their work in a safe way. As much as it’s important to thank them and all essential workers who have been at the front line for the work they have been doing to keep Australia moving, it’s also important, when we have the chance, to ask them - are you ok? A conversation can change a life. Visit ruok.org.au/join-r-u-ok-day for more information.
24.01.2022 Hi all! I just signed the 'WA Truck Drivers Deserve Better' petition organised by State Secretary Tim Dawson and the Transport Workers Union WA Branch - TWU WA. As the son of a truck driver, as the father of a truck driver and as a former truck driver myself, this issue means a lot to me - will you please sign the petition as well? ... Every person that signs this petition builds momentum for the campaign. Every signature brings us closer to meaningful change in and across the transport industry! You can sign here: https://www.megaphone.org.au//wa-truck-drivers-deserve-bet After you've signed the petition, please also take a moment to share it with others. Have a great weekend and drive safe! Cheers, Glenn
24.01.2022 As Qantas celebrates its 100th birthday, we must reflect on who built Qantas - many thousands of Australians over the last century. And sadly, their CEO and Board have thanked these workers by outsourcing their jobs. So much for the Spirit of Australia!... Qantas Families Save Qantas Jobs #SaveQantasJobs
23.01.2022 Labor welcomes yesterday’s announcement from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator that the first Electronic Work Diaries (EWD) have been approved for use from December 1. Here are my thoughts. Big Rigs National Road Transport Newspaper ATN Diesel magazine Owner Driver
23.01.2022 Before we left Broome this morning to continue on our journey back to Perth, we dropped in to see Pablo and Kaupa at Senator Patrick Dodson’s office to drop off some art supplies we brought up with us which were very generously donated by Senator Louise Pratt. These supplies will be provided to remote schools in the Kimberley. Thank you Pat and Louise for your support! Western Roads Federation ACFS Port Logistics KEYS - The Moving Solution... WA Labor Australian Labor Party See more
21.01.2022 **LATEST NEWS FOR TRANSPORT & FREIGHT WORKERS ENTERING WA** Thanks to the Western Roads Federation for putting together this newsletter on the latest transport directives for border entry from WA Police.
21.01.2022 Today I am Chairing a public hearing for the Senate’s inquiry into the policy, regulatory, taxation, administrative and funding priorities for Australian shipping. This morning we are already hearing from experts from the fields of Defence, economics and supply chain resilience that the Federal Government currently has no plan for a strategic Australian fleet in the future. In navigating a pathway forward through Covid, a strategic fleet to support Australian Seafarer’s, of...ficer and engineers, our trade relationships, and our fuel and national security must be considered. Below is a program for today’s hearing and you can follow proceedings live at this link: https://www.aph.gov.au/News_and_Events/LiveMediaPlayer International Transport Workers' Federation Maritime Union of Australia - MUA
20.01.2022 It’s been a while since I’ve been behind the wheel of a truck which is why I jumped at the opportunity to go back to my roots this week. Over the next couple of days, I am joining industry leader and mentor Heather Jones in her pink Mack truck for a tour of Regional rest areas and truck stops in the Pilbara. She’s even letting me have a drive! I’ve got my training wheels off and Heather is continuing to assess me as I drive. Fingers crossed I pass the test! I’ll let you know... how I go! We are currently waiting to load in Tom Price. Unfortunately the facilities at the rest and assembly areas that we have stopped at are as I expected. State, federal and local governments as well as the mining companies who are making an absolute mozza out of this region must contribute more money to ensure that rest and assembly areas are better equipped and fit for purpose. Our essential truck drivers deserve better than this standard in the 21st century. As well as being a truck driver, Heather leads Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls Inc. which is a not for profit organization providing professional development opportunities and career pathways for newly licensed truck drivers. The institute is the only organisation of its type in Australia. Women currently make up just 1% of the nations heavy vehicle driver workforce. Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls Inc aims to remove obstacles and promote the employment of women as heavy vehicle drivers and I think that’s terrific! Heather has informed me of a road train assembly area in Tom Price which we are going to check out. I’ll post again later with a review. For now, here’s some photos of the journey so far!
18.01.2022 Today I joined Senator Anthony Chisholm and Shayne Neumann MP in Toowoomba, Cecil Plains and Peaks Crossing to hear from affected landholders and farmers about their concerns of the flawed inland rail project under the LNP. There are still so many questions about this project that have not been answered and so many untruths. I am currently chairing a Senate Inquiry into the Management of the Inland Rail project by the Australian Rail Track Corporation and the Commonwealth Government and look forward to continuing to take evidence from locals who deserve to have their concerns heard and acted on. You can find further information on the inquiry here: https://www.aph.gov.au//Rural_and_Regional_Affa/InlandRail
16.01.2022 This morning I joined my Australian Labor Party colleagues at a smoking ceremony to celebrate the beginning of National NAIDOC week. This years theme is ‘Always Was, Always Will Be’ and recognises that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years. For more information on how you can get involved with National NAIDOC week this year, visit https://www.naidoc.org.au/get-involved/2020-theme... #NAIDOC2020
14.01.2022 The 11th of November 2020 marks Remembrance Day, when we recognise the service and sacrifice of the more than 102,000 Australian men and women who gave their lives in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. On this day, Australians are encouraged to stop and observe a minute's silence at 11:00am - at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month - to commemorate our fallen service men and women. Today is also an opportunity to honour our current and former defence ...personnel, and the families that supported them, and show them that they will never be forgotten. Here I am in 2016 pictured with my dear friend Didier Pontzeele, Head of the Belgian War Graves Office - who travelled to Perth for this special commemorative Anzac Day service in Yarloop - and Les Liddington, Yarloop resident and Vietnam Veteran who was instrumental in organising the special service which took place after fires devastated the town in January 2016. In recognition of the friendship between the people of Australia and Belgium, Didier presented Les with pebbles from the gravesite of Private Propperjohn from the First World War. Private Propperjohn was from Yarloop and now rests peacefully in a gravesite in Belgium which Didier looks after. Didier said that him returning pebbles from the gravesite of Private Propperjohn was symbolic of the ANZAC spirit and that of Private Propperjohn being returned back to his hometown. Lest We Forget.
12.01.2022 My senate inquiry into the importance of a viable, safe, sustainable and efficient road transport industry continues in Perth today. This is the first time we have been able to conduct a hearing in person since July! Full program You can also listen and view the proceedings live by following this link - ... https://www.aph.gov.au/news_and_events/watch_parliament Once you click on the above link, click on ‘Senate, Rural & Regional Affairs & Transport References Committee (Importance of a viable, safe, sustainable and efficient road transport industry)’ and that will take you to the video/audio of the hearing. Transport Workers Union WA Branch - TWU WA Western Roads Federation Livestock & Rural Transport Association of Western Australia - Inc Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls Inc. Big Rigs National Road Transport Newspaper Owner Driver Diesel magazine Transport & Logistics News Australia
12.01.2022 As you would have seen from last week, I went and checked out the Tom Price Road train assembly area and I said I’d provide some feedback. So here we go! It was easily accessible for a handful of triple road trains, floats and platforms but would be great if the wire fence at the back (which is all but knocked down) was removed to allow a little bit more room. Only downside that I could see is it’s dirt, would cap it off if it was bitumised. As for the shower, toilets and c...overed area, in my humble opinion, bloody brilliant!!!! Very clean, toilet paper and soap over sink provided. Even has a proper mirror and lighting. Both toilets are unisex and to cap it off they’ve even supplied two outdoor tables with bench seats under the shade so while waiting for a shower, truckies and pilots can have a yarn out of the sun, which I did yesterday. There’s also a large bin and automatic lighting that comes on above the tables. If you want hot water you will have to pay $4 in a meter. For myself, Heather and the guys before us, it wasn’t needed. That’s one of the pluses of being in the Pilbara and not the south of the country at this time of the year. Although I do acknowledge, there are times when you do want a hot shower. This you can get but you need to remember to take some gold coins with you. I must congratulate the Shire of Ashburton for supplying this magnificent facility and keeping it cleaned and stocked on a daily basis. And of course our essential service providers - the Truckies who appreciate and frequent the facility. Now if only we could inject this same appreciation of the trucking industry a little further East and sort out that shithole they call the Newman Road Train Assembly Area. Over to the Shire of East Pilbara! Now, if you’re out there and looking for something to listen to, Mick the Oz Trucker has his own podcast called No Holds Barred and over the weekend I joined him where we spoke about all things politics. Great chatting with you mate! Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls Inc. Mick, No Holds Barred Big Rigs National Road Transport Newspaper
12.01.2022 We left Kununurra nice and early this morning to start the long journey back to Perth. Our first stop today was in Halls Creek to see Michael and unload a trailer of equipment for the Wunan Foundation. We are due to arrive in Broome later this arvo ... Western Roads Federation
11.01.2022 Over the last 48 hours, I have been contacted by drivers regarding a stuff up at the SA/VIC border. I immediately contacted Steve Shearer from SARTA, the South Australian Road Transport Association and below is his response. Hope it clears up any questions people may have! SA BORDER UPDATE The police action in turning around some 40 to 50 rigs at Bordertown last night was the subject of a teleconference we had with the Commander of the COVID Coordination Group within SAPol ju...Continue reading
10.01.2022 Anyone can drive a truck in a straight line for a few hundred meters without too much trouble. But it takes hours of training and serious skill to operate, service and maintain a truck which I think at times is underrated by those who don’t understand the transport industry or what it’s like to be a truck driver. As you may have seen, last week I went back driving to see what conditions are like on the roads and at rest areas in the Pilbara. ... Despite showing Heather from Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls Inc., who I was travelling with, my MC license, there was constant oversight from her to make sure that I was doing everything correctly and in a safe manner. And you can see from the below videos, she definitely put me through my paces! This should be the standard met by all trainers and transport companies. Sadly however, we know that this is not the case. People should not be granted heavy vehicle licenses after only doing a few hours of training. But we know that this is happening across the country. I am hoping that this is one of the many issues that the current Senate inquiry into the road transport industry will highlight and report to Government on!
10.01.2022 This week I am back in Canberra for Parliament and this morning, I stood with local aviation workers whose jobs have been outsourced by Qantas to other workers on lower conditions. Qantas has taken half a billion of taxpayers money via the #jobKeeper program and rather than using that to support its local workforce, it has chosen to line its own pockets instead. The Government needs a national plan for the aviation sector to protect the future viability of the industry and ...the jobs of the many hardworking Australians who are employed in it. Transport Workers Union - TWU TWU NSW - Transport Workers' Union
09.01.2022 Last month I visited Kununurra to talk with Indigenous Leaders about training and employment opportunities in the East Kimberley. What I discovered was, to say the least, very encouraging. Up until now, Kununurra - in WA’s Kimberley region - had no recycling facilities, all rubbish went to landfill. I’m told the landfill facility in Kununurra is equivalent in size to the Rockingham landfill facility. For a population of more than 5,000 residents in Kununurra, that statistic i...s alarming. However, here is the good news. East Kimberley Job Pathways (owned by Wunan Foundation) is a local organisation in Kununurra which provides training and employment programs throughout the East Kimberley. After identifying the many training and employment opportunities for local people through possible recycling ventures, EKJP created a program which trains and now employs local Aboriginal people to collect and repair recyclable items for their recycling store named Revive. The workers repair old furniture and push bikes as well as create art out of used materials and sell them at an affordable price to local families with all money raised going towards training local Aboriginal workers. I asked if they’d take second hand furniture from Perth to help their cause if it could be arranged and they said - absolutely. Last week I put out a call to WA Labor members asking if they would like to support this program by donating any pre-loved furniture they might have and the response was overwhelming. With their support, I now have a road train full of furniture which I will drive myself to Kununurra which is absolutely amazing. Yesterday I had the privilege to meet some very generous members when I went to collect their furniture items for delivery. I’d like to thank them for their generosity and support and look forward to delivering the furniture to the East Kimberley in a few weeks. Stay tuned for more updates on the project and on my journey from Perth to Kununurra! Australian Labor Party
06.01.2022 Thanks Big Rigs National Road Transport Newspaper for publishing this important road safety message! Did you know that traffic injury is the biggest killer of Australian children under 15 and the second-biggest killer of all Australians aged between 15 and 24? Every year, approximately 1200 people are killed and another 44,000 are seriously injured on Australian roads. These numbers are staggering and sadly, they continue to grow each year. But we all have a part to play when... it comes to road safety, and National Road Safety Week is a time where we should all commit to being more aware and safer on the roads and drive so others survive! Make the pledge here: https://roadsafetyweek.com.au/ Australian Automobile Association Australasian College of Road Safety Safer Australian Roads and Highways - SARAH - Group ANCAP Safety Ratings iRAP
06.01.2022 Good on you Tim Dawson and all the members of the Transport Workers Union WA Branch - TWU WA! Let’s not forget, this is the same grub who left his workers in Townsville high and dry while boasting of his billions and now he wants to ride rough shot over the people of WA.
05.01.2022 Here we go again. Another news report of a crash involving a truck and a car where the news outlet misrepresents the facts and inadvertently pins the blame on the truck driver. I’ve spoken to the owner driver. The car was on the wrong side of the road and was in his lane. Not at any time does the reporter suggest that the crash wasn’t the truck drivers fault. Our essential truckies have a hard enough time as it is working in the road transport industry at the moment with all... the pressures they are confronted with. What they don’t need after being involved in a crash, which would have been a traumatic experience in itself, is for the media to then blame the crash on them without reporting all of the facts. This is not fair and I’ve had enough. Today I wrote to Free TV Australia to ask them to ensure that in this case, the Seven News Network in Sydney is held to account and is encouraged to comply with the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice which states that news must be presented in a factual and accurate manner. You can see the news report and a copy of my letter https://www.facebook.com/7NEWSsydney/videos/318035776300152/?vh=e Big Rigs National Road Transport Newspaper ATN Owner Driver Diesel magazineTransport & Logistics News Australia
02.01.2022 The renewed outbreak of coronavirus has prompted significant changes to border requirements across Australia. The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has a central website which summarises the latest information on border restrictions which you can find here - https://www.nhvr.gov.au/about-us/coronavirus-response Meanwhile, during my travels in the Pilbara this week, I bumped into a legend of the heavy haulage industry, Ricky The Bear Clark! He tried to retire but his wife wa...nted him out of her hair! He’s now a pilot for Matic and still a bloody legend! Drive safe!
02.01.2022 This week is #NationalRecyclingWeek! Planet Ark's campaign this year focuses on highlighting what happens to your recycling and how you can recover waste to turn it into a valuable resource. To find out how you can get involved, visit http://RecyclingWeek.PlanetArk.org And while we are talking about turning waste into valuable resources, I want to give a shoutout to Revive who I recently partnered with, to deliver pre-loved and unwanted furniture from Perth to their workshop...s in Kununurra. Workers at Revive repair old furniture and push bikes as well as create art out of used materials and sell them at an affordable price to local families with all money raised going towards training local Aboriginal workers. Check out some of the furniture below that was donated through the program and has since been repaired ready for sale. Once again, congratulations Revive on your important work! East Kimberley Job Pathways Wunan Foundation Western Roads Federation ACFS Port Logistics KEYS - The Moving Solution Josh Wilson MP Terri Butler MP
