Whitsunday MP Amanda Camm says the bottleneck on issuing heavy haulage permits is ‘stifling’ the mining industry

Mining equipment is piling up in Paget warehouses with nowhere to go as businesses wait more than a month for permission to truck it out.

Mining equipment is piling up in Paget warehouses with nowhere to go as businesses wait more than a month for permission to truck it out.

Whitsunday MP Amanda Camm said she spoke with METs sector representatives who were “very frustrated” at the backlog in getting heavy haulage permits that was in turn “stifling” the industry.

“There’s a real challenge across Mackay, the Whitsundays and the Bowen Basin in particular, in connecting that supply chain and ensuring that it’s productive,” Ms Camm said.

“At the moment we’ve seen wait times for heavy haulage permits to be in excess of 28 days.

“In some cases, they’re re-furbing mining equipment in a quicker time, in half the time it takes to then get a permit to shift that mining equipment.”

“What we’re calling on is a reinstatement of multi-use permits.

“At the moment, for each and every individual time a piece of equipment needs to be moved, they have to apply for a permit.”

Whitsunday MP Amanda Camm says the wait on heavy haulage permits is stifling the mining industry. Picture: Heidi Petith

The state government used to be the issuing authority for oversize and overmass road access permits but this power was transferred to the National Vehicle Heavy Regulator in late 2019.

Businesses across all states must now submit applications to the NHVR which in turn centrally distributes information to road managers and state and local jurisdictions about the permit which could include multiple routes, vehicle types and combinations.

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A NHVR spokesman said it would continue to work “proactively” to expedite permits in co-ordination with a “range of road managers”.

“Currently, the NHVR is working with Transport and Main Roads to identify opportunities to reduce the needs for permits and turnaround time,” the spokesman said.

Originally published as Whitsunday MP Amanda Camm says the bottleneck on issuing heavy haulage permits is ‘stifling’ the mining industry