PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Ms URQUHART (Braddon) (12:15): Agriculture is central to the economy and identity of my electorate of Braddon. Braddon's farmers produce high-quality world-class products. They support local jobs and businesses and help sustain communities across the north-west West Coast and King Island.
Their success flows through to our transport operators, suppliers, processors, exporters and then the main streets. That's why practical reforms that help farmers stay productive matter so much in my electorate. I rise today to address the Albanese Labor government's decision to extend Australia's right to repair framework to agricultural equipment.
Modern farming often depends on sophisticated machinery. Tractors, harvesters and other equipment now combine mechanical parts with software, sensors, electronic logbooks and digital diagnostic systems. These technologies can improve productivity, precision and safety, but they can also create serious problems when a machine stops and the person who owns it cannot access the information or tools needed to diagnose or repair it.
For farmers, timing matters. A breakdown during planting or harvest is not a minor inconvenience. Crops do not wait for a technician to travel from the other side of a state.
Approaching rain can turn hours of delay into lost income. TasFarmers put the issue plainly: Downtime costs farmers money, particularly during peak periods when every hour counts. It also stressed that the burden is greatest in regional areas, where there may be no nearby factory-authorised repairer.
That's why the Albanese Labor government is committed to strengthening competition in the repair markets and expanding choice for farmers. The Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information Sharing Scheme already legally requires motor vehicle manufacturers to share car repair and service information with independent repairers. Expanding those repair laws to agricultural machinery means farmers will have better access to local repair services, less downtime and lower costs.
Right to repair does not necessarily mean that every farmer should attempt every repair, nor does it mean removing legitimate protections for safety, security, emissions controls or intellectual property. At its core, it concerns fair access to the service information, diagnostic tools, technical specifications and replacement parts required for qualified people to carry out lawful repairs.
Greater access will give farmers more choice, and we know that choice benefits consumers. Independent repair businesses will compete on price, availability and service, while also supporting local skills and jobs in our regional communities. There is also a broader economic case for reform.
The Productivity Commission's estimates indicate that right to repair reforms could add $311 million to Australia's gross domestic product and that reducing harvest downtime could lift agricultural production by as much as $97 million. The design of an agricultural right to repair scheme requires care, and safety must remain central. We also need to recognise the legitimate role of manufacturers and dealers.
They invest in product development, training, specialist equipment and support networks. A workable framework should preserve incentives to innovate while preventing ownership of a machine from becoming dependent on a single repair channel. The consistent message across national and state farming bodies is that, when a farmer has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in essential equipment, lawful repairs should be completed promptly by a suitably qualified person.
A balanced right to repair framework can reduce avoidable downtime, widen repair options and strengthen all regional service capacity, while maintaining strong protections for safety, security and intellectual property. As work on the reforms continues, the tests should be practical. Can a farmer facing a breakdown obtain the information, the tools and the parts needed to safely get equipment working again within the narrow production window?
If that answer is yes, the framework will be delivering what regional businesses, like many of those electorate in my electorate, need. These businesses really are the backbone of our communities. They help the farmers.
They help the producers. They assist the economy right across regional Tasmania. Again, that framework needs to be delivered for those regional businesses.
Electorates like mine will actually prosper and so will the farmers, which is a good thing.