The Australian Dangerous Goods Code (ADGC) should not be extended to cover diesel, the ATA submission to the review of the code says.

The National Transport Commission released a consultation regulatory impact statement with the results of the review in September 2024.

The RIS argues that it is not feasible to extend the existing diesel exemption, but the ATA submission points out that removing the exemption would–

• impose additional, uncosted duties on a participants in the diesel supply chain such as consignees, site occupiers and unloaders
• prevent operators from breaking down road trains to make local fuel deliveries in remote Australia. This would increase the cost of diesel in remote communities.

The submission makes ten recommendations in all, including that the NTC should not go ahead with a proposal to exempt ‘extremely short journeys’ from the code.