Operation Greenacre, a blitz on car dealers, repairers and recyclers in Sydney’s southwest has resulted in 83 penalty notices being issued to licensees, totalling over $50,000.
NSW Fair Trading conducted the operation alongside NSW Police, Roads and Maritime Services and City of Canterbury Bankstown to assess compliance with the Motor Dealers and Repairers Act 2013 and other relevant legislation.
NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rose Webb said four teams of Fair Trading officers approached almost 50 businesses to inspect their commercial practices and to confirm that the licences they held were valid.
“Fair Trading inspectors met with a range of motor industry professionals in the region, including car repairers, scrap motor dealers and motor recyclers and found that a number of licence holders were not complying with the law, with some licensees being issued multiple penalty notices,” Ms Webb said.
The notices were issued for offences including:
- Not keeping an up-to-date register
- Not marking particular parts and accessories
- Licence holders not displaying signage
- Unlicensed motor vehicle repairers and recyclers
“Businesses and workers must hold relevant licenses to ensure customers are being serviced appropriately, by qualified professionals. This also allows Fair Trading to keep the public register up-to-date, while maintaining a consistent quality of service across the industry,” Ms Webb said.
Unlicensed motor dealing in NSW is an offence and can result in a penalty notice of $5,500 or prosecution with a maximum penalty of $110,000. Three unlicensed motor vehicle repairers were identified throughout the compliance operation and will be fined in accordance with the legislation.
To read more about the rights and responsibilities of motor dealers, repairers and recyclers, visit Fair Trading’s website www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
