The Motor Trades Association of Australia (MTAA) says the Federal Government’s review of the Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information Sharing Scheme validates long-standing concerns raised by independent repairers, while confirming the importance of regulated access to repair and service information.
MTAA said the review’s findings closely align with evidence provided by MTAA and its state associations on behalf of repairers across Australia, particularly regarding pricing transparency, access barriers and the practical challenges faced when proprietary systems are required.
“The review confirms that the scheme has improved competition in principle, but it also clearly identifies the structural and operational issues repairers have been raising since the scheme commenced,” said MTAA Interim Executive Director Peter Jones.
“The findings validate that while the framework is sound, it requires refinement to ensure independent repairers can access information in a way that is genuinely affordable, practical and consistent.”
The review found that the scheme is effectively regulating the price of information, but identified opportunities to improve accuracy and transparency, including clearer pricing in Australian dollars, more reliable scheme offers and greater clarity around fair market value for information. Mr Jones said these issues go directly to repairers’ ability to make informed commercial decisions.
MTAA also welcomed the review’s acknowledgement that reliance on proprietary diagnostic hardware can significantly hamper independent repairers’ ability to compete.
“Where access to information is tied to expensive or restrictive tools, competition is undermined,” Mr Jones said.
The review further recognised the regulatory burden associated with safety and security information, as well as emerging challenges such as electronic logbooks and the future impact of telematics and automated systems. MTAA said these findings reinforce the need for ongoing reform to prevent new forms of information asymmetry from developing as vehicles become more digitally complex.
“This review confirms the scheme is not a ‘set and forget’ policy,” Mr Jones said. “Without continuous improvement, the same barriers will simply re-emerge in new forms.”
While the scheme focuses on light vehicles, MTAA said the findings make a compelling case for extending the scheme to heavy vehicles, motorcycles and agricultural machinery, where independent repairers face the same information access challenges without equivalent regulatory protections.
“These sectors support thousands of specialist and regional repair businesses,” Mr Jones said. “The success and the shortcomings identified in this review show it is time for government to consider extending right-to-repair protections across the broader vehicle fleet.”
MTAA said it looks forward to working with Treasury, regulators and industry stakeholders to implement the review’s recommendations and progress broader reform that delivers fair, competitive and practical outcomes for repairers and consumers.
MTAA’s submission to the review can be found here: https://www.mtaa.com.au/advocacy-policy
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
