Now the dust has settled on the federal election, the Chamber policy team turns its attention to the forthcoming Victorian State Election, slated for November 2022.
As with all state and federal elections, VACC prepares a comprehensive policy document, outlining the priority policy reforms for the service, retail and repair sectors of the automotive industry. This year, following on from the REVolution federal policy document, VACC will launch its state-based manifesto Fully Charged, at a special event attended by politicians, senior bureaucrats and regulators at the Parliament of Victoria in August. The document will touch on the importance of preparing a future workforce, developing smarter legislation and more efficient methods of taxation, business support, the environment, and, of course, workplace relations issues.
Also on the agenda is preparing for an electric future. This means developing a comprehensive, robust policy roadmap that considers all facets to the adoption of the Zero and Low Emission Vehicles (ZLEVs), not just charging infrastructure. We are talking about consumer incentives, road user charging, recycling, resale and the upskilling of an existing workforce to safely service such vehicles.
The Victorian State Government needs to, as a matter of urgency, take a leadership role in implementing said policy, in collaboration with the automotive retail industry. I also stress the importance of retail automotive being at the heart of ZLEV policy development – not just the energy providers (which we have seen to date). Some make the comparison that this is akin to petroleum companies telling you how to service your car. It just doesn’t make sense.
Further to this, VACC has been working hard behind the scenes to provide members with access to quality and relevant training to ensure the safe repair of ZLEVs. VACC is pleased to launch an accredited electric vehicle training course in partnership with Chisholm Institute. Credit must be given to VACC Industry Policy Advisor, John Khoury for his commitment to ensuring this two-stage approach to training was developed to meet the needs of industry. This includes AURETH101: Depower and reinitialise battery electric vehicles (stage 1) and a workplace procedure module (stage 2), which provides guidance on control methods to reduce employee exposure to OHS incidents related to working on high voltage ZLEVs. VACC is also currently in talks with other training providers to broaden the reach of this training to regional Victoria and Tasmania. We will be sure to advise members once this becomes available.
Additionally, I would like to spotlight the launch of the Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information Sharing Scheme (the Scheme) by Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury, The Hon Andrew Leigh MP on 30 June 2022, the day before the Scheme officially came into effect on 1 July. It cannot be overstated how significant the implementation of the Scheme is to the automotive aftermarket. It is a battle won as a result of decades of tireless advocacy, and those involved in the outcome deserve high praise indeed.
In closing, I look forward to sharing VACC’s policy manifesto with members later this month – please look out for the document in your inboxes. As always members can request a hard copy. In the meantime, I invite members to always get in touch with any issues facing their business, as our mandate is to lobby for a better business environment for all our members.
Words: VACC Lead, Strategy and Policy, Dr Imogen Reid.
As featured in Australasian Automotive August 2022