Page 4281 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 23 October 2019
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I have asked Access Canberra to redouble its efforts in terms of promoting material to the public about the role that Fair Trading plays and in promoting material about consumer rights when it comes to motor vehicle purchases. Faulty vehicles can be a difficult area of consumer law for the consumer. The case may not be clear cut. There may be a lack of information and getting a remedy may require engaging Access Canberra or other advocacy services to assist.
The ACT government continues to be a strong advocate for enhanced consumer protections in Australia. Members may have seen that we recently secured national support to progress work on giving consumers a right to repair. This would empower consumers to have faulty goods repaired at a competitive price by a manufacturer, third party or in some instances the consumer, using replacement parts.
This is a national first that would bring Australia in line with the European Union and increasing moves in the United States, where various forms of a right to repair are already being introduced. We are also working with other jurisdictions around Australia on a range of options to strengthen consumer guarantees, including a proposed civil prohibition for failure to provide a consumer guarantee remedy.
The government is committed to providing strong consumer protections. Certainly, the sale of motor vehicles is just one area where these protections are essential to secure the social and economic wellbeing of ACT residents. Of course, I also note the comments that Mr Wall made. Whilst there was a certain amount of political frisson there, I think the point that he makes is also an important one and it is one that we need to balance in this space.
Of course, any considerations that we give to this motion will take into account the points that Mr Wall has made today. On the basis that it is always valuable to have a look at these things and that there are active discussions going on at a national level in this space, I am happy to support the motion today and to look at the issues that have been raised in it.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (6.14): I rise to support the comments made by Mr Wall in relation to this motion. It was interesting. I was a little surprised for a while, when I was not paying enough attention, that Mr Rattenbury was so keen to laud the achievements of the ACL, but then I realised he was talking about a different ACL.
I want to comment particularly on the interjection made by Ms Cheyne, which was a disgraceful interjection about motor vehicle repairers in the ACT. Mr Wall rightly suggested that one of the most efficient things that people could do if they were buying a second-hand car was to have it inspected by a reputable motor vehicle repairer. Ms Cheyne basically said that they were all in it together, that there was some collusion between motor vehicle repairers and motor vehicle salesmen. This is an outrageous slur against reputable motor vehicle dealers who every day in this town do exactly what Mr Wall has suggested.
Over the years I have purchased, and my family has purchased, a number of second-hand vehicles. Even if a second-hand vehicle is covered by warranty, no-one
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