The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has welcomed the Federal Government’s move today to release proposals on extending Australia’s Right to Repair laws to agricultural machinery.
NFF President Hamish McIntyre said the announcement reflected years of advocacy by the NFF and its members to tackle costly delays and barriers to repairing farm machinery.
“This is a win for the sector after a period of uncertainty. Modelling by the Productivity Commission shows this reform could lift agricultural production to $97 million and greater competition in the repair sector will lead to a $311 million increase to GDP.
“This is a step towards giving farmers more freedom to choose who services and repairs their machinery. That means less downtime, lower costs, and more control over their own businesses.
“The NFF and our members thank the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury, Andrew Leigh and the Minister for Agriculture Julie Collins, and Minister for Small Business Anne Aly for listening and progressing this for farmers.”
The NFF said the consultation was a major milestone towards delivering the Government’s commitment to expand Right to Repair laws to agricultural machinery.
“We’ll continue working closely with government and industry to get these important laws implemented,” Mr McIntyre said.
Ashleigh Whittaker