Tony Pasin has today welcomed the announcement made by Minister for Urban Infrastructure, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP that proposed reforms to The Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989 will be abolished.The Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989 (the Act) controls the safety, environmental and anti-theft performance of all vehicles entering the Australian market for the first time—both new and used.
Reforms to the Act would have allowed for the personal importation of new vehicles.
Initially the proposed reform of the Act was intended to reduce regulatory compliance costs to business and provide the public with greater choice and competition in the vehicle market.
However, Member for Barker Tony Pasin said Australia already has the most competitive retail vehicle markets in the world with over 64 brands available for 1.1 million sales each year, compared to the United States which has only 50 brands on sale for over 15.6 million purchases annually.
“The Government has consulted widely on these reforms and I have been advocating on behalf of industry in my electorate against the proposal.
“I have consistently said that I would not have supported any proposal that undermines the viability of local dealerships in my electorate of Barker,” Mr Pasin said.
“In my opinion these reforms would have placed consumers at risk from unscrupulous overseas sellers, damaged jobs in Australian automotive dealerships and would not have delivered the claimed benefits.
“After years of consultation and advocacy on my part to the Minister, I am thrilled that we can now put this issue to bed. The announcement today will give certainly to the industry and the thousands of people it employs,” Mr Pasin said.
MTA CEO Paul Unerkov praised Tony Pasin for the work he had done in Canberra advocating for the industry.
“We wish to recognise the instrumental role of the Federal Member for Barker, Tony Pasin, in working with the industry to achieve this outcome. Mr Pasin’s determined efforts on this issue are a great example of the of win-win situation that can be achieved when government works with industry to protect prosperity and grow jobs.” Mr Unerkov said.
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