The Motor Trade Association has given the Government a fail grade for vehicle safety in its latest six-monthly “Warrant of Fitness” inspection, citing concerns over controversial WoF reforms.
The fail mark is one of two negative assessments for the Government, though it received passes in crime, fuel, immigration and education for an overall pass grade.
MTA head of advocacy James McDowall says the assessment delivers a serious message on how well Government is working with the automotive sector.
“There is possibly a degree of irony that the Government’s own Warrant of Fitness reforms get a fail in the MTA’s WoF inspection,” McDowall says.
“The reforms were a significant, serious issue for MTA members and industry, and unfortunately the Government chose to go ahead with changes that were unsupported and unwelcome to many in the sector.”
The Government’s WoF reforms extended inspection intervals for vehicles, a move the MTA opposed through an open letter published in newspapers nationwide late last year. The association highlighted concerns that short-term savings for motorists would be outweighed by increased costs from delayed maintenance and repairs, and that more unsafe vehicles would appear on roads.
“Our position is formed by MTA members, who carry out 80% of the country’s WoF inspections and who were clear in their reservations,” McDowall says.
“Reservations that were based purely on concern for the safety and bank balance of everyone on our roads.”
Election year pressure mounts
In its upcoming election year manifesto, MTA is calling on Government to defer the change in WoF frequency for vehicles aged eight to 14 years old for two years while further evaluation can be carried out.
The automotive body delivered positive assessments for Government progress on crime reduction, while “reassuringly calm and consistent” messaging on the fuel situation also received approval. Strong performance in immigration and education over the past six months was also applauded.
However, grim economic data and the absence of “long-promised green shoots” adds to pre-election pressure on the incumbents.
“The Government has five months to turn that around,” McDowall says.
The Motor Trade Association was founded in 1917 and currently represents more than 4000 businesses within the automotive industry. Members include automotive repairers, collision repair specialists, service stations, vehicle importers and distributors, and vehicle sales operations. The sectors represented by MTA employ over 65,000 people and produce $6.8 billion of GDP.
