Over the last two weeks, Assistant Minister to the Treasurer, the Hon Michael Sukkar MP, and the Chairman of the ACCC, Mr Rod Sims, both publicly commented on a proposed mandatory code for the sharing of motor vehicle repair information with independent repairers as recommended in the ACCC’s Retail Car Industry Market Study. Both the minister and Mr Sims have signalled strong support for this.
The AADA has been working constructively for some time with the Minister’s office, the ACCC and other industry stakeholdersto help shape a solution to this challenging and long running issue.
Our on-going engagement with government suggests that this code will be an important first step towards much needed renovation of the key regulations governing the entire automotive industry in the post-manufacturing era.
Any mandatory code must be practical and fair to all parties and AADA will work to ensure that the interests of franchised new car dealers are protected in the final version of the code. Specifically, we will look for the code to incorporate the following key principles:
- Common Access Costs for All Participants -The scheme must result in common costs of access for all participants. For example, the costs of technical training, special workshop equipment and electronic scanning and diagnosis tools and software upgrades cannot be different for independent repairers and franchised dealers
- Cyber-security/Digital Vehicle Systems Access Codes – The three well documented sensitive vehicle data codes, viz
-
- Vehicle security codes
- Emission settings codes
- Vehicle safety codes
must be protected by protocols that limit access to technicians who are able to demonstrate pre-determined qualifications including cyber-security integrity within their business operations
- Administration of the Mandatory Code – The scheme, including the digital access protocols, must be administered by an independently chaired body and cannot be run by an existing industry organisation. The costs of administration must be reasonable and must be shared equally by all participants.
We will keep you informed as the development of the code progresses.
