Moderated by the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA) as a part of its Autocare conference, the 2025 Modification Summit brought together industry and regulators to discuss and collaborate on the future of our industry last Friday in Brisbane.
There is no other national forum dedicated to light vehicle modification, meaning there was a lot to talk about.
The unique, highly interactive one-day Summit format brought together industry leaders, business owners, product developers, entrepreneurs and crucially, regulators.
The main theme of the Summit was setting the wheels in motion to create a national harmonisation of modification regulations for light vehicles.
The objective of the summit was to initiate the creation of a much more integrated document for light vehicle modification regulations (VSB14) that is unified across all states and territories.
Topics discussed included:
- National harmonisation of vehicle standards (the national review of VSB 14)
- State by state in-service vehicle modification inconsistencies
- Second stage manufacturing and the ROVER approval process.
- State by state application of modification regulations (GCM/GVM upgrade).
- EV modifications and future technology standards.
- Impacts of modifications on ADAS calibration.
- The new low emissions trading scheme – NVES started in 2025 how has it affected the modification industry.
- The inter-relationship between modification and certification – how do we work together for sound and fit for purpose evidence?
- The future advocacy efforts – improving our response times to threats and opportunities.
- Research, development and testing – the future
AAAA Chairman Wayne Bryant opened the proceedings.
“This is not an easy task,” he said.
“In fact, it takes a whole collective effort to come together and collaborate and work together on the really important matters. And the work that you all do sits outside or ahead of existing regulations.
“And because that's what we do best as an industry. You design, you engineer, and you innovate. You develop solutions that improve vehicle performance, safety and usability. And you make vehicles fit for purpose, whether it's for work, whether it's for recreation, or whether it's for the specific needs of the owner and the driver. And because of that, our industry, your part of the industry often moves faster than the rulebook. And that's a real paradox.
“It's your strength and your ability to stay ahead of the curve. But it also means that you're operating in a space where the regulatory path is often unclear. And that's a real challenge and we all understand that challenge, but it's one that we're committed to do to work with you and help you navigate through that space.
“We've actually got to work together and we've got to collaborate and we've got to continue to work hard on solving the problems, partnering together and speaking up together. And that's especially true in a room like this where many of you are actually competitors. But the reality is our governments and our regulators don't regulate for individual businesses or stakeholders. They regulate for the entire industry. And that's why collaboration matters because the destiny of this sector is not all about one company alone.
“It's about how we come together, how we lead together, how we show up together, and how we speak with one voice. And the truth is, our advocacy efforts only succeed when the industry does that.
“Your presence sends a really important message, a powerful message that this sector matters and that you care about it. This Summit is unique. It's not only a national event dedicated to vehicle modifications, but it's an opportunity where we bring industry and government together.”
Key players were involved in the Summit from industry and government, with the opening session headed by Aaron de Rozario (National Transport Commission), Anita Langford (Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts) and Anna Flower (Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads).
De Rozario spoke of the Commissions’ intention to review VSB14 and to ultimately create a document that standardised modification regulations for light vehicles across one set of national standards where possible and to clearly highlight any differences so that they were transparent for all to see.
“We want to start putting together our stakeholder engagement groups,” he said.
“We’d like to have a regulated group where we are talking with the states and territories about the critical issues that they need to deal with.
“We’d like to have an industry group and we’d like to have a joint group so that there is a sharing of thoughts, views, opinions, and of course as we go through updating of VSB14, we might tailor the membership particularly at an industry perspective so that people are focusing on the areas that they're most interested in and there's a right level engagement there.”
The Modification Summit was deemed to be a success, with an overall commitment to co-operation despite the competing interests within the room, and the discussions that were initiated will continue as the industry does its best to work together for the greater cause of developing regulations that serve all parties, including public safety and the ongoing viability of the industry.