Landmark Government Right To Repair Reform For Farmers– Now It Must Deliver
The Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA) has welcomed the Federal Government’s commitment to extend Right to Repair reforms to agricultural machinery — the most significant expansion of Right to Repair policy since Australia’s automotive reforms and a major productivity step for regional Australia.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers confirmed that “the Commonwealth will… extend the ‘Right to Repair’ reforms to agricultural machinery” as part of the National Competition Policy agenda — putting agricultural repair access firmly on the national reform map.
AAAA CEO Stuart Charity said the commitment is a breakthrough for farmers, regional businesses and independent repairers, but stressed the reform must be backed by practical access rules.
“This is a landmark competition reform for regional Australia,” Mr Charity said. “But a Right to Repair law is only as real as its delivery mechanisms. Independent technicians need day-to-day access to the service and repair information, tools, software functions and parts that make safe and timely repairs possible.”
“The test is simple: can a qualified independent repairer get what they need, when they need it, at a fair price — so machinery gets back to work?”
For many farmers, repair delays are not minor inconveniences — they mean missed planting and harvest windows, extended downtime, and significant cost and productivity losses across regional supply chains.
AAAA’s latest national research confirms the scale of the problem, showing that access restrictions already create substantial time and cost impacts for repairers, equipment owners and regional communities. In agricultural machinery, the top barrier reported by workshops is limited access to service and repair information — rising to 68% in regional areas.
Workshops also reported barriers that directly affect turnaround times and costs, including shortages of specialised tools, difficulty sourcing parts, insufficient staff training, high costs and regulatory challenges. The research also highlights the productivity drain created by inaccessible information: the average time to diagnose a fault without information is 7.6 hours, rising to 12.7 hours for workshops interested in agricultural machinery but constrained by access barriers.
AAAA said the research also shows strong capability and intent across the independent repair sector, but investment depends on practical access.
“When independent technicians can get the information and tools they need, they can invest with confidence — in training, specialised equipment and the capability that keeps machinery operating safely,” Mr Charity said.
Mr Charity acknowledged the Australian Repair Network for its leadership — with particular recognition of Professor Leanne Wiseman and AAAA’s Lesley Yates for long-standing policy coordination.
“This outcome reflects years of disciplined advocacy and the lived experience of farmers and regional repairers who kept showing up and telling the truth about what lock-outs really mean on the ground,” Mr Charity said.
AAAA said the Government’s commitment must now be matched with a practical implementation model — including clear rules for what information must be shared, how it is accessed, timeframes, fair pricing, and effective oversight.
“We’ve learned in the automotive sector that implementation details matter. The reform must be built around safe repairs and real-world accessibility — not paperwork compliance or token portals,” Mr Charity said.
“AAAA stands ready to work with Government and stakeholders on a framework that delivers genuine, reliable access — especially for regional Australia.”
AAAA said a workable framework should ensure fair access to:
• service and repair information (manuals, wiring, technical service bulletins)
• diagnostic capabilities (fault codes, troubleshooting, functional tests)
• software-dependent repair pathways (including updates required to complete repairs)
• calibration and configuration procedures
• parts and parts information, including availability and lead times
• reasonable, non-discriminatory pricing and access terms