David Coleman (Banks, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to speak in support of this bill, the Competition and Consumer Amendment (Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information Sharing Scheme) Bill 2021, as brought forward to the House by Minister Sukkar, which addresses a very important issue in terms of the access to information for independent repairers in the automotive sector.

Of course, in the automotive sector in Australia, there are a wide range of business models. There are dealers who are affiliated with particular manufacturers, and there are also a large number of independent repairers. It is very important that those independent repairers, who are so critical to the communities that we all represent, have access to the information that they need, because the playing field needs to be level. It's really important that a car dealer in a local community is not disadvantaged by a lack of information about specifications or approaches to specific repairs. That's what this bill will address. This bill will ensure that those independent repairers have access to the information that they need.

So while there's a very important benefit for repairers, there's a really important benefit for consumers as well. This is about a more efficient marketplace. When you make information more available, you allow more people to compete. When more people can compete in the market, you get more competition, and more competition means better pricing and better services for consumers. We don't want to have a situation where independent repairers are, effectively, priced out of the market by a lack of information or put in the position where, because they don't have that information, they are required to follow a more inefficient process than other dealers.

This is about a level playing field. It's about ensuring that independent dealers have access to the information that they need so that they can provide a quality service to Australians right around the country. It's a pro-competition reform, it's a pro-consumer reform, and it's a very positive thing for the car industry in this country. I commend the bill to the House.

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