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The Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA) said it warmly welcomes the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Final Report into The New Car Retailing Industry which was released in December. 

Following on from the detailed recommendations made in the ACCC’s Draft Report which was released in August, the ACCC’s Final Report recommends a mandatory scheme that will compel all car companies operating in Australia to share the same repair and service information that they currently share with their dealerships, with independent repairers on fair and reasonable commercial terms.

“To say that we are delighted with this outcome would be a major understatement,” AAAA Executive Director Stuart Charity stated.

“This is a David and Goliath story. A group of small independent repairers spread throughout the country with limited political skill and very limited resources, took on the might of the multinational car companies. The car industry leveraged their financial, lobbying and marketing power to criticise the skill and credentials of our industry, telling Government that all vehicle repair and service information was being made available but independent repairers didn’t have skills to use it. The ACCC has refuted those claims and the evidence supports our seven year Choice of Repairer campaign.”

Charity also believes that time is of the essence to act on the recommendations contained in the ACCC’s Final Report. “The Government has the independent umpire’s verdict which contains clear evidence of anti-competitive behaviour. They now need to act quickly to protect consumer choice and competition in the automotive repair and service industry. There is no reason for any delay as this recommendation has been a long time coming. It has been five years since the Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Advisory Council (CCAC) recommended that the Government consider the introduction of a mandatory code for data sharing. Finally, after an exhaustive 18 month review, the ACCC has recommended government intervention in the form of a mandatory scheme, so it is now time to act,” Charity said.

The adoption by government of the ACCC recommendations will provide a level playing field and help to secure the future of over 20,000 Australian independent automotive repairers that consumers trust to service and maintain their cars on a daily basis all over the country say AAAA.

The real congratulations for achieving this long awaited recommendation from Australia’s peak competition umpire belong to the AAAA members. These businesses took on the might of the multi-national car industry and provided evidence to the ACCC of instances where vital repair data was being withheld.  They also invited local Members of Parliament into their workshops to witness first-hand the impact that lack of data access has on their ability to compete and provide competition and choice for their customers.  

Click here to read the report.

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