The online home of the Bus Industry Confederation and the Australian Public Transport Industrial Association
Moving Australia
Sunday brings the formal opening of the National Conference with the INIT delegate registrations desk opening at 12.30pm. The first social event of the conference is the Volvo Cocktail Party at the National Gallery of Art. You will have the opportunity to not only meet up with colleagues and have a few drinks, but also experience one of the gallery’s latest acquisitions James Turrell’s Skyspace Within Without a stunning sculpture and at its best at sunset.
The Passenger Task, Planning and the National Agenda
The plenary sessions for the opening morning of the Conference will be focussed on the national agenda and how this relates to the work already being undertaken by the bus industry in “moving people” and how we address these challenges in the future. The opening session of the Conference will feature a Keynote Address from the Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP.
The Minister, who is a strong supporter of public transport and the BIC, will outline what the future holds for transport policy leading into the election and beyond.
This will be followed by Director Generals of Transport from each State and Territory who will outline the “State of Play” for public transport in their respective states in a candid question and answer session facilitated by former ABC Radio National presenter Peter Mares. As part of this theme we will follow up with a session titled “Industry Trends and Future Implications”. This session will examine the expected growth in the passenger task and look at what the bus industry’s slice of the public transport pie will be and how this will shape the future of your company and our industry.
The Passenger Task, Operations and Technology
The afternoon sessions of the Conference will focus on bus operations and technology. This will include what the future holds for hybrid and emissions efficient vehicles in the Australian bus fleet, the key impacts of the carbon tax on operators and manufacturers and what future challenges may arise as we develop a domestic carbon market, and a technical update on fire suppression, door safety and vehicle mass limits.
The National Agenda Public Transport and Operational Challenges
On Tuesday morning we return to high level policy and will hear from three of Australia’s most senior transport officials:
The development of the National Urban Policy and its relationship to urban passenger transport in major cities will be the focus of a session on “Moving People, Urban Policy, Planning, Spatial Constraints and Cities".
Our speakers are all leaders in their field and include Dorte Ekelund from the Major Cities Unit who will look at the relationship between moving people in our cities and the national urban planning agenda being developed by the Federal Government and what part you can play as a company.
This session is a highlight of the Conference and at the core of the BIC’s policy focus and future direction.
The National Agenda, Public Transport and Industry Standards
Following a thought provoking look at the relationship between delivery and investment in public transport and election results in “Public Transport Polls and Politics” the afternoon session will return to an operational focus and look at where we are headed in relation to vehicle standards and accessible transport standards.
A session on “National and International Vehicle Standards” will feature international guest speaker for the Conference, Jeffrey Hiott from the American Public Transport Association (APTA).
On an international level this session will look at the US Federal Transit Administration funded Standard Bus Procurement Guidelines that APTA developed with industry. These guidelines represent best practices for procuring transit buses and motor coaches. It includes all the contractual language and is updated annually with all the technical specifications. On a local level the session will focus on developments with bus related Australian Design Rules including Euro 6 and ADR’s being addressed by the Federal Government’s Bus Single Issues Working Group that the BIC is represented on.
The final session for the Tuesday of the Conference will look at “Accessible Transport Standards”. This session will feature Graeme Innes, the Australian Human Rights Commissioner as our key speaker. Graeme will provide an overview of the recommendations of the five year review of the Act and the response of the Human Rights Commission on the key bus related recommendations including the inclusion of school buses to meet the Standards.
Moving People Today and in the Future
Wednesday will kick off with a session on the “Fair Work Act and Awards Review”. BIC National Industrial Relations Manager Ian MacDonald will provide an overview of the Fair Work Act and Award Review and what it means for bus operators and the Passenger Vehicle Transport Award over the past 12 months.
In August 2012 the BIC undertook a Bus Rapid Transit Study Visit of the US and Canada to identify infrastructure investment options for rapid transit in Australia with the aim of developing a best practice model for the assessment and implementation of Bus Rapid Transit in Australian cities. In “Bus Rapid Transit – The USA and Canadian Experience” our speakers will outline the lessons learned in the development and operation of these systems and how they could be applied to Australia.
The final session of the Conference will look at progress on the outcomes of the 2011 BIC National Conference in Fiji and involve an open forum on industry issues. The Conference will conclude with a presentation from special guest speaker Tim Longhurst who will discuss “The Future of Transport and Moving People”.
The Conference will feature four social events. On Sunday evening the Volvo Cocktail Party will start the Conference off in the right way and will feature a welcome to country ceremony conducted by representatives of the indigenous tribes in the Canberra region.
Monday night will see the BIC Conference move to the Great Hall of Parliament House with the Mercedes Benz Gala Dinner. The evening will feature a legendary Australian entertainer and will see more than 500 attendees including Parliamentarians, representatives of transport agencies and industry from across Australia.
The Tuesday night Scania Dinner Party will celebrate Australian excellence in sport by taking delegates to the Australian Institute of Sport for a special evening.
The Iveco Big Arvo out will take us back in time at the Old ACTION Bus Depot in Canberra and will include the BIC Annual National Awards which are presented for National Achiever, excellence in Environment and Innovation, the Supplier of the Year and Outstanding Contribution in the industry.
The Partners Program this year is being hosted by Special Transport Solutions. The Partners Program is a relaxed tour of the sights of Canberra and Australia’s national heritage, culture, art and history. The Partners Program includes a Hop On-Hop Off tour of the Parliamentary Triangle, fully guided tours of the National Museum, Australian War Memorial and Old Parliament House and all social events.
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Graham Davis Comfortdelgro Cabcharge |
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Eddie Ogden Ogden's Coaches |
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Simone King Nowra Coaches |
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Anthony O'Donnell QTK Group |
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IVECO| VOLGREN School
Bus
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Ben Doolan Australian Transit Group |
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ABC Underwriting industry collage |
Michael Larissey "Tasmania's Own" Redline Coaches |
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Mobitec Desto sign
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Paul Hoffman Express Coachbuilders |
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Casey Stoner signed helmet |
Alex Pulitano Pulitano Group |
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Cummins BBQ Set & Umbrella
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Eddie Ogden Ogden Coaches |
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7 x Goodyear Urban Max with rims
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Andrew Cornwall Venture Buslines |
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8 x Bandag Retreads
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John Shore Red Bus |
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Prime Minister Gillard's Address
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Minister Albanese opens the conference in typical bus fashion! |
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Leader of the Nationals and Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Warren Truss, responds to industry criticism of the lack of involvement by the coalition to support industry and public transport. |
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Watch the State of Play as the DG's answer the tough questions from industry. Take a look at the government perspective! |
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Minister Bill Shorten launches the new National IR & WHS Manual |
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Michael Apps tells it like it is from Fiji 2011 to 2012. What has changed? Where is the Australian bus and coach industry headed? |
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Stephen Hodge from the Cycling Promotion Fund speaks about the Moving People Taskforce - a partnership between bus, rail, health and community and the development of a transport plan for a Productive and Active Australia. |
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Bus Rapid Transit.Alan Warren Divisional Manager of Brisbane Transport takes a look at the American and Canadian experience with BRT. |
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The Future of Transport and Moving People. An insightful key presentation at the BIC 2012 Conference. Tim Longhurst is one of the world's leading authorities on innovation and corporate strategy. |
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A short documentary on how the funds raise by the Australian Bus and Coach Industry at the 2011 conference in FIJI were dispersed amongst
the disadvantaged schools of FIJI
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