Australian Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information Sharing Scheme

What automotive companies need to know about the Australian Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information Sharing Scheme

The Australian Government introduced a mandatory Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information Sharing Scheme in 2021 to enable all Australian motor vehicle repairers and relevant Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) to have fair access to the information needed to service and repair cars or provide training. The government has also released some legislative rules in 2021 to govern the operation and administration of the scheme.

As the mandatory scheme came into operation on 1 July 2022, automotive companies (such as vehicle manufacturers, car dealerships and service agents) will need to be aware of and comply with the requirements of the scheme. Significant penalties apply for non-compliance with the scheme.

The upshot of this scheme for vehicle manufacturers, car dealerships, service agents and other data providers is that they will need to implement effective security controls to ensure the right type of information is released to each different type of party. In order to achieve this, data providers will need to ensure they request the relevant information from individuals to ascertain whether they are suitable for accessing safety and security information. They will particularly need to ensure that criminal record checks are conducted on individuals seeking to obtain security information for vehicles. which can be done by requesting a copy of the individual’s national police check.