ANDREW LEIGH MP 
SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER 
SHADOW MINISTER FOR COMPETITION AND PRODUCTIVITY 
SHADOW MINISTER FOR CHARITIES AND NOT-FOR-PROFITS 
SHADOW MINISTER FOR TRADE IN SERVICES 
MEMBER FOR FENNER 
  
MERYL SWANSON MP 
MEMBER FOR PATERSON 
  
CLEARING THE ROAD FOR MAITLAND MOTORISTS 
  
Car owners and independent mechanics in Maitland will have a smoother ride under a Shorten Labor Government with plans to make timely access to technical information a reality. 
  
Whether you drive a Jazz or a Jaguar, everyone should be able to choose where they get their car fixed. But independent repairers are being driven to despair by their inability to get fair access to the data and software upgrades they need. 
  
As Australian drivers make the switch to electric vehicles and their myriad of onboard computers, this issue will become increasingly important.  
  
Electric vehicles won’t end the weekend, but right now, mechanics are wasting too many of their weekend hours trying to find workarounds for their inability to access manufacturer data and software upgrades. 
  
Under Labor, multinational car manufacturers will have to share the same technical information with independent mechanics that they currently provide to authorised dealers, on commercially fair and reasonable terms, with safeguards for security and environmental information. 
  
Our policy means more choice for drivers, who cop bigger repair bills when the local mechanic is locked out from accessing the right software. It will also level the playing field for independent mechanics, who would be able to stay in business as a result and continue to hire young apprentices.  
 
This is a vital issue in regional areas, where an authorised dealer can sometimes be hundreds of kilometres away. 
  
Labor has spent more than a year urging the Liberals to take action on the issue. But progress has stalled, and all the Liberals have to offer Australian drivers and mechanics is another inquiry via a lemon of a consultation paper. 
  
Unlike Labor, Scott Morrison and his chaotic Liberals won’t back independent mechanics in Paterson over large foreign multinationals. 
  
Labor understands it’s your car and it should be your choice where it gets repaired. Under a Shorten Labor Government, we’ll put automotive policy reform in top gear.