The reporter has raised the following safety concern regarding unqualified train drivers operating on the [State] rail network without supervision.
The reporter states multiple train drivers with a Certificate III qualification are permitted to drive trains unrestricted and without supervision which is not in line with [Operator] rail accreditation. Certificate III drivers are required to operate under the direct supervision of a Certificate IV qualified driver.
The reporter further states, [Operator] management has been made aware of the concern and that no action has been taken to address the concern.
Within [Operator's] Enterprise Agreement for its [State] crew there is a clause that has been created to ensure that [Operator] resolves this industry-wide issue for its crew and works towards supporting all crew to achieve their Certificate IV in train driving. [Operator] is working towards achieving this goal and has partnered with an external Registered Training Organisation to ensure that this is delivered. In addition, [Operator] manages the competence of its drivers and crew through a program of enterprise training and assessment. The crew are trained and reassessed to ensure they are competent in their safe working knowledge, shunting and train operations on a cyclical basis.
[Operator's] accreditation with ONRSR is that crew should be trained and assessed in line with the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) standards and framework. Whilst the crew mentioned in this report indicate they do not have the current nationally accredited qualification, they were at time of achieving the qualification trained in line with the AQF.
In relation to the claim that Certificate III drivers are driving unsupervised - at the time that the Certificate III was issued, this was deemed a suitable qualification for train drivers, and train drivers' assistants. There were no supervision requirements in place as this was deemed a suitable qualification for a train driver.
A full review has been conducted on all the crew in the [Location] depot and two of the drivers hold a Certificate III. Both of those drivers are in scope to work towards achieving their Certificate IV.
All feedback provided to management at [Operator] is listened to. Earlier this year this concern was raised, and the points listed in this response were provided back to the crew member.
ONRSR has reviewed the reporter’s concerns and operator’s response. The information provided has been incorporated into the planning of a regulatory activity scheduled as part of the 2023/24 ONRSR work program. Any issues identified during the regulatory activity will be managed in accordance with processes outlined in The ONRSR Way, available on the ONRSR website.’