A key service NRMA provides for its Members
Advocacy to all levels of Government on behalf of our Members has been a key function of NRMA, right from the day we started back in 1920. As well as providing roadside assistance to Members, advocacy to Government on motorists' behalf was one of the original motives for establishing NRMA. In fact, advocacy is the first objective of our Constitution.
One early victory we secured for our Members was the improvement of caution, direction and road name signs throughout NSW, and the display of place names on all post offices. In 1931 we successfully argued that taxes paid by motorists' should be used to fund improvements in the road network. And during that early period road safety was just as much a priority as it is now, and NRMA advocacy saw road safety programs introduced into schools.
For nearly 90 years, NRMA has represented the interests of motorists in relation to road funding, road safety and other relevant public policy issues.
While over time we have successfully lobbied Governments for measures like seatbelts in cars and drink driving education programs. Today, funding for our roads and highways, and fairer petrol prices continue to be a major focus of our advocacy.
NRMA is now recognised as one of the largest, most effective and most respected advocacy organisations in Australia.
NRMA's advocacy today
NRMA remains a Membership organisation with a focus on Member benefits and roadside assistance.
Today, we are focussed on delivering better results for our Members - more government funding for better roads, fairer licensing for older drivers, fairer petrol prices, greener motoring, standing up for young motorists and safer cars.
Our advocacy to government is underpinned by a strong research focus. NRMA produces high quality research reports to put forward its case and also makes submissions to all levels of government on a variety of issues that affect our Members.
Recent NRMA submissions to Government include:
- Budget Submissions to the Australian, NSW and ACT Governments
- 2008 NSW Mini-Budget
- Infrastructure Australia - infrastructure priorities for the Building Australia Fund
- Motor Vehicle Repairer Licensing Review
- The Victoria Road Upgrade
- North-West Sydney Sector Transport
- Central West Transport Needs Study
- Lower Hunter Transport Needs Study
- Sydney CBD Mobility Summit and
- NRMA's response to the RTA Older Driver Licensing Paper.
Recent research reports commissioned by NRMA include:
- The Jamison Group Report - A roadmap for Alternative Fuels in Australia: Ending our Dependence on Oil
- Park and Ride: Investigation and Audit of Park and Ride or Alternatives in Metropolitan Sydney, the Central Coast, Newcastle and Wollongong
- Let Miss Daisy do the Driving - a report identifying priorities governments need to address in relation to the transport and mobility needs of our ageing population
- Major Regional Highway Audits - most recently the Newell Highway
- Travel Time Surveys - providing data about Sydney's tollways and Orbital Road Network.
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All of our submissions and reports are used in NRMA's advocacy to governments on behalf of our Members.
Additionally, NRMA is a major contributor to the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), which conducts crash testing and provides safety star ratings for new vehicles to guide buyers.
NRMA is also a strong supporter of the Australian Road Assessment Program (AUSRAP) that provides a star safety rating for roads across Australia. This generates consumer information for the public and provides vital information on how well, or badly, our roads are performing.
Representing NRMA Members to all levels of Government
NRMA Directors and executives regularly meet with senior Government and Opposition figures from the Australian Government, the NSW Government and the ACT Government to advocate NRMA's views on public policy issues.
Recent examples include meetings with the key government decision-makers such as Premiers and Chief Ministers, Federal and State Ministers, their senior staff and their opposition counterparts. NRMA also conducts meetings with senior government officials.
NRMA's record and reputation is such that governments and oppositions themselves regularly seek NRMA's views on important policy issues, such as inviting NRMA to comment on draft legislation that they might be proposing.
All of these activities allow NRMA to influence the public policy debate on behalf of our Members.
NRMA participation in political activities
In addition to direct meetings, NRMA's advocacy also involves participating in events organised by political parties where senior representatives from the Government or Opposition are in attendance. These include conferences, networking programs, dinners and tribute events.
Being a Member-owned organisation means that participation in these events is all about representing our Members' interests on issues like better roads and transport links, fairer petrol prices and fairness for younger and older drivers.
Being involved allows us to understand political parties' policies on issues affecting our Members, and also allows us to get our message across to those politicians who are directly responsible for making decisions about those issues.
Under current legislation, participation in such activities is deemed to be a political contribution. During the 2008-09 Financial Year NRMA spent $42,040 participating in events organised by political parties. Information is available on electoral authority websites.
NRMA does not make direct donations to political parties.
Paying to participate in events organised by political parties is part of a broader strategy by NRMA to ensure that our Members' views are heard and is in line with normal industry practice.
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How successful is NRMA advocacy?
Recent "wins" for our Members
Our advocacy to Government has helped secure some major results for our Members. Recent NRMA advocacy wins include:
- A 62% increase in road funding since 2005-06.
- Increased Australian Government road funding for:
- Bulahdelah Bypass and Sexton's Hill (Banora Point) realignment on the Pacific Highway
- Woomargama and Tarcutta bypasses on the Hume Highway
- Increased funding for Black Spot projects ($60 million).
- Infrastructure Australia shortlisting for funding consideration a number of key priorities nominated by NRMA:
- F3 to M2 link ($4.75B)
- F3 to Branxton Link ($1.727B)
- M4 Extension (5.7B Stage 1, $4B Stage 2)
- M5 expansion including surface road links - and M5 East ($2B)
- Pacific Highway upgrades ($6.67B)
- Princes Highway upgrades ($1.03B)
- NRMA's advocacy on behalf of Older Drivers secured the rejection of an RTA proposal for a 10 kilometre radius restriction for drivers over 85. It also ensured that they face a more appropriate drivers licence testing system, with the focus on driver ability, not age.
- To deliver a safer environment for our school children, NRMA advocated replacing yellow school zone signs with more visible fluorescent yellow/green school zone signs across NSW and the ACT. The Standards Committee has now proposed a draft update to Australian Standard AS1742.4 to include a requirement for school zone signs across Australia to use fluorescent yellow/green. Our policy position received extensive media coverage, and also provided a platform to further highlight our call for more flashing lights in school zones.
- NRMA's Jamison Group Report strongly recommended introducing alternative fuel mandates to reduce our dependence on oil, as voluntary targets for alternative fuels will not work. Our message has been heard and the NSW Government has announced its intention to mandate for a 10% ethanol blend in all regular unleaded petrol by 1 July 2011 and will also introduce a biodiesel mandate.
- Since the release of NRMA's Park and Ride report, the NSW Government has committed to provide an extra 3,000 Park and Ride spaces.
- NRMA's advocacy on behalf of motorists over fuel prices has successfully kept up the pressure on the Australian Government and forced them to take measures to protect motorists from being ripped off, including the appointment of a Petrol Commissioner. This is an ongoing battle, and NRMA will continue the fight in support of motorists.
Advocacy is a critical service we provide to our Members, and we will adopt every strategy available to make sure we deliver the results our Members deserve.
