A New Era for Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Choice

World-leading legislation to mandate the provision of motor vehicle service and repair information to Australian automotive repairers passed the Senate today, paving the way for increased consumer choice and competition from 1 July 2022.

 
The ground-breaking legislation fulfils a government commitment for a mandatory scheme to compel car manufacturers to share technical service and repair information with all qualified Australian repairers.

Motor Trades Association of Australia (MTAA) CEO Richard Dudley, supported by the Motor Traders’ Association of NSW (MTA NSW), says the passage of the legislation through the Senate is a significant milestone in finalising the legal framework and enabling the hard work to swing into full gear to implement the scheme. ‘Work is already underway to assist the Treasury Department in designing information-sharing scheme rules and the creation of the entity to be the Scheme Adviser,’ Mr Dudley said.

‘The start date of 1 July 2022 may seem a long way off, but peak automotive organisations, manufacturers, information providers, and the Department will need all of this time to finalise and approve the rules, mechanisms and processes to implement the scheme smoothly on this date, Mr Dudley added.
MTA NSW CEO, Stavros Yallouridis, congratulated the Morrison Government, notably the Assistant Treasurer and Housing Minister, Michael Sukkar, for championing and seeing through a legislated solution.

‘Minister Sukkar got the issue. He recognised the need for a practical solution and persisted with driving an outcome despite sometimes seemingly insurmountable odds’, Mr Dudley said.

‘Today, Australia’s global policy leadership is again highlighted as one of the few global jurisdictions to legislate a proper, fair, balanced and equitable outcome for Australian consumers and automotive businesses,’ he added.

The passage of the legislation through the Senate today culminated a decade long odyssey of trial and error, voluntary agreements, inquiries and investigations, submissions, advocacy and representation, culminating in a recommendation by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in 2017 for a mandated solution.

‘From 1 July 2022, Australian consumers will have strengthened rights to choose their repairer, knowing repairers can access critical service and repair information. Likewise, automotive service and repair businesses will have strengthened rights to repair the Australian 20 million strong fleet by accessing manufacturers and data providers service and repair information at fair and reasonable prices, ‘ Mr Dudley said.