The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has called on the Federal Government to strengthen Australia’s first Right to Repair law by requiring vehicle manufacturers to sell parts to independent repairers.
In its submission to Treasury’s policy proposals to enhance Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information Sharing Scheme (MVIS), the ICA backs all sixteen proposals in the Government’s discussion paper but warns the scheme cannot deliver genuine repair competition while carmakers keep repair parts to themselves.
A fully qualified local mechanic can have all the right information and still be unable to finish the job, simply because the manufacturer won’t sell them the part.
With more than 1.4 million vehicle repairs signed off each year, insurers understand what drives better outcomes for motorists. Clearer, stronger rules would encourage more repairers to compete, easing wait times and costs for drivers.
A driver can be forced to send their car across town or, for those in the regions, to a capital city just to get it fixed for simply not being near a manufacturer’s authorised repair network.
Notably, some manufacturers will sell parts to a car’s owner yet refuse to sell that same part to the repairer the owner has chosen, suggesting a desire to control who does the work rather than over a legitimate concern about safety or quality.
The ICA recommends that the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 be amended to require manufacturers to sell genuine parts to independent repairers on fair and reasonable terms.
The recommendation builds on the ICA’s March 2025 Motor Insurance Policy Paper, which called for the scheme to be extended to cover access to parts.
Quotes attributable to ICA CEO Andrew Hall:
The MVIS has driven real competition in the repair sector but for one crucial flaw: car manufacturers can still withhold the sale of parts from independent repairers.
There’s no point giving a mechanic the know-how to fix your car if the manufacturer can still refuse to sell them the part.
When parts are locked away, repairs cost more, take longer, and good cars get written off for no good reason. As a result, the premiums of hard-working Australians go up.
You can’t have a real Right to Repair while manufacturers can hold the parts hostage.
