Portfolio — 22 May 2026

Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh released a discussion paper on 22 May proposing to extend the Right to Repair framework to agricultural machinery — the portfolio's first recorded policy move since 21 May [TA-260522-agricu-dda27853a19a:mBU8]. The paper carries two distinct but related proposals: a new agricultural machinery repair regime, and targeted improvements to the Motor Vehicle Information Sharing Scheme (MVIS), which has been running since 2022 [TA-260522-agricu-dda27853a19a:mBU8].

The MVIS gives independent repairers access to manufacturer service information at fair market prices, and a review of the scheme found it had already generated measurable results — growth in independent repair workshops, greater consumer choice, and a $2.4 billion expansion in the sector's annual turnover [TA-260522-agricu-dda27853a19a:mBU8].

The agricultural extension is anchored in a Productivity Commission estimate that broader Right to Repair access could lift annual GDP by $97 million, primarily by cutting machinery downtime during harvest and increasing grain outputs [TA-260522-agricu-dda27853a19a:mBU8]. The framing is explicitly cost-of-doing-business: the portfolio positions expanded repair choice as a buffer against external price shocks — fuel costs in particular — for farmers and small businesses [TA-260522-agricu-dda27853a19a:mBU8].

Submissions close 3 July 2026 [TA-260522-agricu-dda27853a19a:mBU8].

The discussion paper is a consultation instrument, not a legislative commitment — the policy direction is signalled but the scope of final reforms will depend on stakeholder input. No parliamentary activity was recorded for this minister on this date, so the Note draws on the media release alone. The opposition's position on extending Right to Repair to agriculture is not reflected in available records.