Insurance Australia Group (IAG) is supporting an industry push to regulate the Motor Vehicle Insurance & Repair Industry Code of Conduct in states outside NSW.
IAG Head of Supply Chain, Ian Tulloch, said the success of the Code in NSW should be implemented nationally.
Tulloch agreed with the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC) that the costs of disputes and loss of productivity under a voluntary Code was impacting the industry and insurers.
“Mandating the regulation of the Code means that everybody is on a level playing field, and we would definitely support such a proposal in Victoria, and nationally,” he said.
“There will be times when we don’t see eye to eye, but the most important thing is we have a consistent, defined resolution process where insurance companies, smash repairers and industry bodies can come together to reach a fair and reasonable position, and quickly.”
Tulloch said IAG is committed to developing better ways of working with the industry to eliminate confusion and unnecessary disputes.
“In the recent WA Parliamentary Inquiry we made it very clear we would support a mandated Code beyond NSW.
“Like the VACC, we believe stronger relationships between insurers and repairers are important to deliver better outcomes for all stakeholders.”