- Cook Government to introducenext phase of crash towing reforms for WA
- Towing businesses will be required to be authorised under Towing Services Act 2024
- Businesses will need to meet 'fit and proper' persons, publicinterest,and storage yard standards
The Cook Government is preparing to introduce the next phase of WesternAustralia's crash towing reforms as part of ongoing work to create safer and farer consumer protections for the Western Australian community.
TheTowing Services Act 2024(the Act) makes provision for the authorisation of crash towing businesses in Western Australia.
Once the new requirements are introduced into the regulations, all towing businesses must be authorised to undertake crash towing.
Failure to do so could incur significant penaltiesof fines of $40,000 for an individual or $200,000 for a business.
To become authorised, regulated towing businesses will need to meet various requirements, including:
- 'fit and proper' personsconsiderations;
- public interest considerations; and
- storage yardminimumstandards.
To be considered 'fit and proper', a person must be of good repute regarding their character, honesty, and integrity. Any close associate of a towing business must also be of good repute.
Authorisations for towing businesses are expected to come into effect in mid-2026.Authorisations for individual towing workers will be introduced at a later stage.
The Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure (DTMI) willsoonengage with WA's towing industry to provide further educationto ensure businesses understandtheupcoming changes and what they willbe requiredto do to become authorised.
Industry can ensure they are included in DTMI's engagement activities by signing up forthe DTMI industry newsletter emails .
TheTowing Services Bill 2024was passed in October 2024,immediatelyintroducing a ban on advertisingorpaymentof spotter fees.
In January 2025, theTowing Services Regulations 2025introduced maximumcharges for towing and storage of crashed light vehicles inthePerth and Peel regions, as well as increased penalties for authority to tow breaches.
Comments attributed to Minister Assisting theTransport MinisterJessicaStojkovski:
"The authorisation of towing businesses is a crucial element of the Cook Government's reformsto create asafe,fair,and efficient crash towing industry for WA and is part of our commitment to building safe and inclusive communities.
"The new requirements for WAcrashtowing businesses to be authorised andto meet 'fit and proper' persons, public interest, and storage yard standardswill bolster the regulations introduced in 2024 to protect Western Australians involved in crashes on our roads.
"The reforms are also being introduced to protect ethical towingoperators,and it is important that all crash towing operators understand what theywillneed to do to make sure they are eligible to become authorisedand continueoperating.
"Iencourage all members of WA's crash towing industry to register for regular updates from DTMI on the next phase of reforms."
