National Transport Commission

The National Transport Commission (NTC) was established in 2003 with ongoing responsibility to develop, monitor and maintain uniform or nationally consistent regulatory and operational reforms relating to road, rail and intermodal transport. It performs the role of an expert adviser to the Transport and Infrastructure Council (the Council) on national regulatory reform development, implementation and evaluation in the Australian land transport sector. Further information about the NTC's activities may be found on the National Transport Commission website.

Governance

Australia’s Commonwealth, state and territory Infrastructure and Transport Ministers are responsible for the NTC, as an inter-jurisdictional transport body covered by the Inter-Governmental Agreement for Regulatory and Operational Reform in Road, Rail and Intermodal Transport PDF: 729 KB (‘the Intergovernmental Agreement’). A Performance Based Framework is used by the ministerial council to monitor the operation of the NTC and as the basis for issuing a Statement of Expectations to the NTC. The Australian Government is the host jurisdiction responsible for the NTC as a statutory body established under Commonwealth law. The NTC is established by the National Transport Commission Act 2003 and is subject as an authority to the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013. The Department has portfolio responsibility for the NTC Act, and to conduct periodic reviews of that legislation within the context of the Intergovernmental Agreement.

Reviews

The NTC Act and Intergovernmental Agreement require infrastructure and transport ministers to review the operations of the NTC every six years. The last six-yearly review required by the Act was conducted in 2021, with the next review due in 2027.

Key Documents