SENATOR MARIELLE SMITH
LABOR SENATOR FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA

SOUTH AUSTRALIANS FINALLY GIVEN CHOICE IN THEIR CAR REPAIRERS

After a long wait, from 1 July, motorists in rural and regional South Australia will finally be able to have their car serviced by their preferred mechanic. This is good for motorists and good for family owned and independent car repairers.

The Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information Sharing Scheme is the result of years of campaigning by independent repairers and Labor to level the playing field for independent repairers.

Many cars these days are like computers on wheels. Vehicle manufacturers generally own vehicle information such as digital files and codes which are needed to complete repairs and services, in many cases only sharing it with their dealership’s networks and affiliated repairers. This drives up costs for consumers and makes it difficult for independent repairers to compete for local business.

The Scheme requires car manufacturers to make the information necessary for vehicle repairs and service available to purchase by all Australian repairers and registered training organisations at a fair market price.

By making data cheaper for repairers, the Scheme will reduce the costs of vehicle servicing and repairs for South Australian drivers, particularly across regional South Australia.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will monitor the Scheme to ensure information is shared consistently and on time. A maximum penalty of $10 million can be applied by the ACCC for systemic breaches of the Scheme.

Quotes attributable to Senator Smith

“I believe that every South Australian should be able to choose where they have their car serviced and repaired, regardless of whether they live in regional South Australia or in Adelaide. But for too long, regional South Australians have been left behind because their local and often family owned independent repairers haven’t always been able to fairly access the data they need to complete repairs. In some cases, cars have been trucked to Adelaide from regional South Australia just to access this data, which adds a significant cost for local consumers.

These changes will put independent repairers on a level playing field, which is good for motorists and good for local owned businesses.”

30 JUNE 2022