The government has recently released a proposed and long overdue update to the Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989. The changes aim to streamline the process of getting a new and/or imported vehicle on the road by harmonizing Australia & international vehicle standards.
The revision aims to replace the outdated RVCS System with a completely new system. The new system will consist of a central and publicly searchable database of all the vehicles (including trailers) that have been approved for use on public roads in Australia. This list will be known as the Register of approved vehicles (RAV). The infographic shows an overview of the new pathways & steps required to get a vehicle onto the RAV.
It is also intended that the changes will streamline the process of modifying used vehicles known as the ‘approved person scheme’ in Queensland. One such change is to remove the need for physical ‘Blue Plates’ and instead replace them with a searchable database of modified vehicles. However, as these schemes are currently operated by the states it is unknown whether these changes will come into effect.
It is proposed the new act will come into effect a year after coming into law with a 12 month ‘transition’ period.
The reforms are currently available in a draft state at www.infrastructure.gov.au/vehicles/mv_standards_act/ and are available are open to public consultation and comment until COB 16 February 2018.
If you work in the automotive industry in any capacity from a second stage manufacture to a trailer manufacturer we suggest you have a read over the change to see how they are going to affect you.