A new parliamentary inquiry will examine the motor vehicle insurance and repair industry in South Australia.
The inquiry will be undertaken by the Parliament of South Australia’s Economic and Finance Committee, chaired by Presiding Member, Sam Duluk MP, Member for Waite (pictured).
“With over 1.8 million registered vehicles and 1.2 million licence holders across the State, most South Australians are affected by the motor vehicle insurance industry. The Committee will investigate the business practices of insurers and crash repairers and assess consumer choice for South Australians,” Duluk said.
“This inquiry will examine the effectiveness of the voluntary Motor Vehicle Insurance and Repair Industry Code of Conduct in regulating the relationship between repairers and insurers and in protecting the interests of South Australian consumers.
“Following recent changes to the South Australian compulsory third-party insurance scheme and closure of the Motor Accident Commission, it is timely for the Committee to examine these important issues.
“We welcome contributions from South Australians to this inquiry, which will inform the Committee’s recommendations to the South Australian Government,” Duluk said.
The Committee invites submissions from all interested individuals and organisations, addressing the terms of reference, by Friday 6 September 2019. The terms of reference for the inquiry are listed below.
Further information on making a submission is available from the Committee’s website or by contacting the Committee’s Parliamentary Officer.
Terms of reference
On 3 July 2019, the Economic and Finance Committee resolved to inquire into, and report on the Motor Vehicle Insurance and Repair Industry in South Australia, with regard to:
1) whether insurers and repairers respectively authorise and carry out repairs with the objective of restoring safety, structural integrity, presentation and utility of the vehicle, complying with relevant Australian law and fulfilling their obligations to the policy holder;
2) the 2017 Motor Vehicle Insurance and Repair Industry Code of Conduct (the Code), its governance structure, the application of the Code’s dispute resolution process, in particular the overall effectiveness of the dispute resolution mechanisms in regulating the relationship between collision repairers and insurers and in protecting consumer interests;
3) consumer choice, consumer protection and consumer knowledge in respect of contracts and repairs under insurance policies in general, but with particular regard to
choice of repairer, cash settlements, transparency and fairness in assessment of non-partnered repairer estimates and the efficacy and safety of web-based assessments;
4) the business practices of insurers and repairers, including the effect of lessening competition through vertical integration into the market, the transparency of those business practices and implications