The Motor Trades Association of Australia (MTAA) has lodged a vital submission to Treasury's Improving and
Expanding Australia's First Right to Repair Law discussion paper.
The peak body is urging the federal government to address barriers to accessing repair and service
information by extending the right-to-repair framework to agricultural machinery and closing gaps in the
existing motor vehicle scheme.
The submission highlights that independent technicians in regional Australia face challenges accessing the
information needed to diagnose and maintain tractors, harvesters, sprayers, balers, seeders and precision
agriculture systems. These access barriers lead to devastating downtime for farmers during tight seasonal
windows.
MTAA Executive Director Bruce Billson has called for the same principles of competition, consumer choice
and practical access that apply to the cars farm owners drive to be extended to the equipment used in the
fields to produce Australia's food and fibre, to level the playing field.
"Whether it's a family sedan or a million-dollar harvester, if you buy it, you should own the right to choose
who fixes it," Mr Billson said.
“When independent regional mechanics can't access the information they need, it doesn't just affect local
repair shops – it means longer wait times and higher costs for farmers at the busiest times of year. We need
to bring fairness back to the farm gate.”
The MTAA submission calls for a broad, technology-neutral framework covering all major machinery types
with no purchase price threshold, aligned with the existing motor vehicle scheme's 1 January 2002
commencement date. It makes clear that right to repair must be limited to repair and maintenance – not
modification, re-engineering, emissions tampering or performance alteration – and that warranty repairs
should remain the responsibility of the manufacturer and dealer network.
MTAA is advocating for a functional, competency-based eligibility framework that recognises the diverse mix
of qualified repairers who keep regional Australia moving, including those holding relevant automotive, light
or heavy vehicle, mobile plant or agricultural mechanical qualifications, as well as mobile field technicians and
qualified in-house farm workshop staff. The submission argues that a single rigid qualification pathway would
exclude businesses already lawfully and safely carrying out repairs, particularly in regional areas.
The submission also calls for pricing to be transparent, quoted in Australian dollars and benchmarked against
fair market value, and for parts access restrictions to be addressed alongside information sharing, because
repair information without access to parts delivers only a partial solution. MTAA is urging Treasury to
resource the ACCC for proactive compliance monitoring to hold manufacturers accountable for full and
meaningful participation in the scheme.
MTAA said the submission recognises that regional dealer networks provide essential seasonal repair
capacity, parts stockholding, trained technicians and warranty support that farmers depend on, and that a
sensible right-to-repair framework should improve competition without undermining their viability.
The association welcomes consultation and collaboration with motor trades industry leaders to support the
development of a co-ordinated industry position.
ENDS
Media contact
Andrew Molloy
Manager Marketing & Communications
Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce
P: 03 9829 1248 | M: 0457 188 375
E: amolloy@vacc.com.au
