The change of Australian car import rules results in cheaper cars


Australian car import rules

Is it true that we will see cheaper cars, because of the end of car manufacturing in Australia?

 

“The Australian Government is getting on with delivering safer roads and better vehicles for motorists as part of our detailed review of the Motor Vehicle Standards Act,” according to an Agent of the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.

 

Over the past 12 months, there has been an extensive public consultation to ensure a reasonable balance is struck between safety standards and access to vehicles at the lowest cost. For now, the Cabinet is reviewing the reduction of restrictions for personal import of new cars. However, the government has announced there is no intention of altering the import restrictions on used car imports. Discussions are still on-going, with a decision likely to be made by the end of the year.

Nuwan Piyatissa of RAWS (Registered Automotive Workshop Scheme) has declared that “the government is under immense pressure from the established ‘cartel’ of vehicle dealers to protect the market”.

 

Some Australians are worried about the protection they will have when it comes to these new car imports. Currently there are safeguards against cars that may have been stolen/poorly repaired/history misrepresented. These are all issues that will need to be addressed to ensure buyers are not left to their own devices and have access to sufficient compensation and protection.

 

The Hon. Jamie Briggs, responsible minister for the review, suggested that changes in the vehicle imports are still possible despite the fear mongering from the industry. He also claimed that Australia will not “become the dumping ground for other countries’ second hand lemons”.

It may be that a new bureaucracy will need to be created to administer the new rules. Another option is scrapping the Act altogether, creating a free market.

In New Zealand, where they have adopted a similar model to the Australian one being proposed, the number of grey imports now account for 60-70% of all new registrations.

 

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