Caravan body slams compliance delays

The peak body for the caravan industry has lashed out at Canberra bureaucrats for pushing back the introduction of legislative changes designed to help reduce the number of non-compliant or ‘lemon’ caravans on our roads.  

Caravan Industry Association of Australia CEO, Stuart Lamont said an Amendment Bill to delay the commencement date of the Road Vehicle Standards Bill (RVSA), introduced into Parliament last week, is “short-sighted” and “puts lives at risk”.

The Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development said it needs more time to ensure its IT systems are ready to process all new and used vehicles imported into Australia under the changes that were scheduled to take effect in December this year. The new proposed date is July 1, 2020.

“To say we are disappointed and frustrated is an understatement,” Lamont said. “Any further delay in this legislation will continue to provide a mechanism whereby unsafe and non-compliant product could be registered without fear of retribution, while Australian consumers and genuine businesses are committed to doing the right thing and deserve better protection than that offered by the current legislation.”

“Consumer safety is paramount and current protections are inadequate,” he continued.

“The existing system of getting towable recreational vehicles onto the road is by the Government’s own admission flawed, with there being no current enforceable obligation for trailer manufacturers (including caravans and camper trailers) to be inspected by the vehicle safety standards regulator, and when non-compliance is detected, the current Motor Vehicle Standards Act (MVSA) lacks the appropriate enforcement measures.”

Last year the CIAA said that the introduction of the RVSA “will see safer caravanning products for Australians, and provide better conditions for industry businesses currently burdened with competing with cheap imported product which in many cases do not meet the tough Australian Standards and Design Rules designed to cater for Australian caravanning conditions".

Lamont said the Association has lobbied hard for the introduction of the Road Vehicle Standards Act, and has attempted to raise standards in the industry by running its own RVMAP compliance audit program for its members since 2013.

“While not perfect, RVMAP is a great step in the right direction for better consumer safety with strong evidence supporting this,” he said.

Regulatory costs could cripple businesses

Track Trailer CEO Gerard Waldron recently said that the cost and pressure of complying with the new ‘Provider’ regulations could also drive many smaller manufacturers out of business or lead to them being ‘swallowed’ by larger players.

“The major change that this will bring is that RV ‘Providers’ such as importers and their dealers will now primarily be responsible to ensure that the products they sell are ‘Fit for purpose’, rather than the manufacturer,” Waldron said.

He said the cost of certifying products to meet the different State-based regulations for small volume producers will be crippling, both in cost and administration, whereas larger ‘Providers’ will be able to apply and get blanket ‘type approval’.

According to the CIAA, RV industry suppliers will need to comply with the following regulations under the new Road Vehicle Standards Bill:

· All manufacturers and importers (over four units annually) will be required to obtain an approval from the Federal Government to supply RV product under 4.5 tonne to the market;

·  All products manufactured or imported (first supplied to market – new or used and above four units annually) within three weight ranges will be required to be covered by a model approval;

· All products supplied to market (below four units per made) will be required to be physically inspected by a Government approved facility against Federal compliance;

· All products manufactured or imported will be required to be logged onto a Register of Approved Vehicles (an electronic database) prior for individual products will be able to be registered through a state based registration system. This database will be able to be searchable by Government authorities and consumers alike;

· The Federal Department will have increased powers which include removing approval to supply to market, fines, or the issuing of a recall (which includes for non-safety related matters);