Last Friday all Commonwealth, State, Territory and New Zealand Ministers responsible for fair trading and consumer protection laws met in Sydney at a Ministerial Forum on Consumer Affairs. The purpose of this forum is to consider consumer affairs and fair trading matters of national significance and, where possible, develop a consistent approach to those issues.

At this meeting we are pleased to advise that Federal Assistant Treasurer Hon David Bradbury raised the need for vehicle manufacturers to share vital repair and service information with independent repairers and requested that all consumer affairs agencies work together to develop an awareness campaign to educate consumers about their warranty rights to address the misconception that cars need to be serviced at an “authorised dealer” to maintain the owner’s warranty coverage.

In June AAAA Executive Director, Stuart Charity met with the Victorian Consumer Affairs Minister Hedi Victoria as well as advisers to the NSW Fair Trading Minister Anthony Roberts to brief them on the issues to be raised at the Forum and to seek their support for the Assistant Treasurer’s recommendations.

Immediately after Friday’s meeting, Victorian Consumer Affairs Minister Heidi Victoria issued a media release welcoming Commonwealth moves to give independent mechanics greater access to vehicle repair information from manufacturers. In the release Minister Victoria said “It is excellent to see new measures to increase competition in the car repair market, by creating a process which removes restrictions to independent repairers accessing information from manufacturers. We are working with the car industry to improve sharing of vehicle information, as well as the way consumers are informed of their protections under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL)”.

CLICK HERE to read the full media release.

This is another very positive development for our Choice of Repairer campaign given the significant role State and Territory Governments play in the enforcement of Consumer Law and the education of Consumers on their rights.

We welcome Assistant Treasurer Bradbury’s initiative to raise this issue with the States which was of the key recommendations arising the Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Advisory Council Inquiry into vehicle data sharing and we welcome the Victorian Government announcement and Minister Victoria’s leadership on this issue.