Until mid‑2022, many Australian drivers discovered that owning a car did not always mean controlling who could repair it. As vehicles became more digital, critical diagnostic information wasn't always available to the independent mechanics people trusted. That left drivers with fewer choices, less convenience and often a higher bill.
That is precisely the problem Australia's right‑to‑repair scheme was designed to fix.
The Australian Government's review released this month confirms that the nation's first motor vehicle right‑to‑repair framework is delivering what it promised: more choice for motorists, quicker repairs, stronger small businesses, and a more competitive repair market.
Since the Albanese government took office, vehicle manufacturers have been required to share service and repair information with independent workshops at a fair market price. It sounds technical, but the effect is simple. When more qualified mechanics can fix your car, there are more repairers competing for your business, so drivers benefit.
The results are striking. The review links the scheme to a $2.4 billion annual lift in automotive industry turnover. Independent workshops report higher capability and stronger productivity. Motorists face fewer barriers when servicing modern vehicles and have more options about where to go.
This is competition policy doing exactly what it should: widening choice and helping small business.
Independent repairers are often deeply embedded in their communities. They sponsor junior footy teams, hire apprentices, buy local, and keep regional towns running. Giving them a fair shot is good for business and good for the economy.
It is also good for resilience. When repair markets are concentrated, disruptions ripple further. A broader network of capable workshops helps keep Australians on the road and reduces bottlenecks when demand spikes.
Of course, no reform is ever 'set and forget'. The review identifies practical ways to make the scheme work even better.
It proposes that repairers should have access to electronic logbooks so they can diagnose problems quickly and service vehicles efficiently. Intermediaries such as tool manufacturers and data aggregators should be able to obtain essential repair information, supporting innovation across the sector. And access to higher‑risk repair data can be improved while maintaining strong safety and security safeguards.
These are sensible refinements that recognise how quickly vehicle technology is evolving.
Right to repair is about more than cars. It rests on a simple proposition: when you buy a product, you should not be locked into a single, expensive pathway to keep it working.
That principle matters even more on the farm.
Modern agricultural machinery is sophisticated, digitally enabled, and enormously valuable. When a harvester stops during a narrow harvest window, delays are costly. The Productivity Commission estimates that extending right to repair to agriculture could lift GDP by $97 million each year through increased grain output alone, largely by avoiding downtime.
Put plainly, faster repairs mean more crops collected and more income flowing through rural communities.
That is why the government will shortly begin consultation on expanding right‑to‑repair reforms to agricultural machinery. Farmers deserve timely, affordable repairs just as motorists do.
Taken together, these reforms form part of a broader National Competition Policy agenda focused on productivity and fairness. Strong competition encourages firms to innovate, invest, compete and deliver better value. It ensures markets reward vigorous competition rather than encouraging incumbents to build moats.
There is also a deeper economic lesson here. Information is power. When critical repair data is tightly held, markets tilt toward incumbents. When information flows, capability spreads, new businesses emerge, and consumers gain leverage.
In an era of rising living costs, that leverage matters.
Every dollar saved on servicing is a dollar households can spend elsewhere. Every independent workshop that expands is another small business creating jobs and training workers. Every avoided delay keeps people mobile and businesses operating.
Most Australians do not spend much time thinking about competition policy. They notice it only when it fails - when prices climb, choices shrink, or a simple repair becomes a logistical ordeal.
But when policy works well, it shows up in quieter ways: a more reasonable quote, or a shorter wait to see a trusted local mechanic able to service the latest model.
The right‑to‑repair scheme is delivering those everyday benefits.
And it reflects a distinctly Australian instinct: markets function best when the rules are fair, small business can have a go, the barriers are low, and effort is rewarded.
When your car needs fixing, the decision about who picks up the spanner - or does the software update - should be yours.
