The Victorian Government will introduce a single authority to oversee the regulation of safety and compliance for commercial passenger transport.
From 1 July 2022, Safe Transport Victoria will unite the functions of Commercial Passenger Vehicles Victoria (CPVV) and Transport Safety Victoria (TSV), to create a new regulator to manage safety, compliance, accreditation and registration for commercial passenger vehicles, buses, and the marine sector.
Following an extensive search, Tammy O’Connor has been named Chief Executive of Safe Transport Victoria, bringing a wealth of experience across transport, legal and safety operations, and regulatory services.
Ms O’Connor will lead the authority into this new era, delivering support and direction to operators, managers, and users of these critical services via one point of contact.
The Victorian Government said bringing the two regulators together will increase transport safety by strengthening existing resources and allowing experience, skills, monitoring and enforcement to be seamlessly shared across the transport portfolio.
Victorian Minister for Public Transport and Roads and Road Safety, Ben Carroll, said the new authority will make it easier for drivers and operators of taxis and rideshare operators, buses and maritime sector to access the crucial information and services they need to deliver safe and high-quality services across the state.
“We’re combining the knowledge and experience of our regulatory experts from these key industries, to deliver better safety outcomes for our operators and all Victorians who use these essential transport services,” Mr Carroll said.
Three safety branches – Bus Safety Victoria, Maritime Safety Victoria, and Commercial Passenger Vehicles Victoria – will sit under the Safe Transport Victoria umbrella.
Victorian Minister for Ports and Freight, Melissa Horne, said this will further boost maritime safety and ensure our users and operators have access to the information and services needed for the safe navigation of all vessels across Victorian waters.
“It also complements the Victorian Ports Review – which identified pilotage and towage governance needed to be enhanced,” Ms Horne said.
Current CPVV and TSV employees will transfer to the new entity and continue to deliver the same essential services to the Victorian community, resulting in no job losses.
Work is underway on a Safe Transport Victoria website, which will house user portals and key information in one convenient location.
Transport safety and regulation information can continue to be accessed at the CPV and Transport Safety Victoria websites in the meantime.
