AAAA News

For more than a decade, the independent aftermarket has been making the same simple argument: if we can access the repair information, we can compete, and motorists win.

We fought hard to get Australia’s Right to Repair law in place, and since it commenced on 1 July 2022, workshops across the country have been doing exactly what we said we would do: repairing more vehicles, more safely and efficiently, with more choice for customers.
Now we’ve got something we haven’t had before: proof in black and white. The Government’s final review of the Scheme has landed, and the headline is as blunt as it is satisfying: Right to Repair is working. It is delivering more competition, more choice, and measurable economic impact.
And yes, it finally puts a dollar figure on what our industry has been saying for years.

The number that matters is $2.4 billion.
The Review found that the Scheme has produced an estimated 6.7 percent expansion in industry turnover – equivalent to $2.4 billion.
That isn’t a “nice in principle” reform. It is hard evidence that when independent workshops can access repair information on fair terms, the repair market becomes more competitive, and the industry grows.
That matters because Right to Repair was never about special treatment. It was about removing the handbrake on competition. When manufacturers control the information, they control the repair market; but when access is fair, workshops can get on with the job and motorists can choose where they service their vehicles without strings attached.

40 percent fewer “sorry, we can’t do it” moments
Here is the other stat that jumped off the page: market research cited in the review reported a 40 percent reduction in vehicles being turned away by repairers utilising the Law.
That’s enormous for workshops, and for motorists. A turn-away isn’t just a lost job. It is another week without the vehicle. It is the feeling you are being funnelled back to a dealer network because the independent option can’t access what it needs.
So yes: the law is delivering. But the review also makes it clear the Scheme must keep evolving as vehicles become more connected, more software-driven, and more controlled by security gateways.

The next reform priorities, straight from workshop pain points
The review sets out the next priorities, and they line up exactly with what workshops keep telling us:
• Electronic logbooks – so a customer’s service record is portable and recognised, no matter where they service their vehicle.
• Intermediaries (tool makers and data aggregators) – because no workshop wants to juggle a dozen OEM portals just to do everyday work.
• Hardware and diagnostic tool access – where proprietary hardware is required, cost and availability can become a barrier to competing.
• Smarter handling of safety and security information – protecting sensitive information matters, but the current approach can create a real productivity drag.
• Clearer compliance and stronger enforcement – patchy compliance risks undermining confidence in the Scheme, so enforcement needs to be more visible and practical.
• Telematics and connected-car data – the review says connected-car systems aren’t materially distorting competition yet. We disagree, and we’re going to have to work hard to build the evidence base, because software and data increasingly determine what’s diagnosable and repairable.
Right to Repair has proven a simple point: when workshops can get the information, competition works, and motorists win. But vehicles are changing fast. If access doesn’t keep up with software locks, security gateways and electronic service histories, the market can slide backwards, and “choice” becomes a slogan instead of a reality.
Three things I want workshops to take from this

1. This is proof. The review confirms the Scheme is broadly achieving its objectives and supporting consumer choice and productivity.
2. This is economic reform, not niche industry policy. A $2.4 billion uplift is the kind of number governments pay attention to, especially in a cost-of-living environment.
3. The next round will be won (or lost) on real workshop experience. Consultation matters. The strongest input isn’t the fanciest wording, it is the clear, practical examples of what happens when you hit a portal block, a tool lock, a security pathway that doesn’t work, or a service record you can’t update.

Right to Repair was never about giving anyone a free ride. It is about ensuring the market stays open, so the best repair option wins on capability, trust, price and service…not on who controls the login.
And here’s the overwhelming takeaway for me: this is what happens when we behave as one industry.
We are fiercely independent, and yes, often fragmented. The aftermarket isn’t one neat box. It is thousands of businesses across dozens of specialties: workshops, parts suppliers, tool makers, remanufacturers, trainers, 4WD and performance specialists, all doing what we do best: solving problems and getting Australians back on the road.

Right to Repair didn’t happen because one segment shouted the loudest. It happened because we stood shoulder to shoulder, stayed disciplined, and kept making the same simple case: a fair market needs fair access.

Now we’ve got proof it worked: fewer turn-aways, more choice, and an industry that’s grown by billions. That should make every one of us proud. So, let’s not drift back into our corners now that the hard work is paying off.
We did this together. We’ll only keep it delivering for us if we work together. And as cars become more software-driven, the next phase matters just as much. This is worth protecting. It is worth fighting for: because it protects the customer’s right to choose, and it protects our right to compete.

If you would like to offer your thoughts on this subject, please email advocacy@aaaa.com.au