Proposed Changes To Import Rules Cancelled

[Duncan]

Is a report I saw the other day correct? Has our govt just decided to keep the current monopoly rules in place after all?

[nickcorr]

That is my understanding...

New government leadership did not support it and bowed to pressure from the retail industry... Usual emissions and safety noises, conveniently forgetting that all imports come from markets with higher requirements for both...

[niZmO_Man]

Why are we not surprised?

[Duncan]

hmm maybe I was premature.....saw this article which says changes are to be announced today to allow:

No restriction on imports:

From Japan or UK

Less than 500klm

Less than 12 months old

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/feb/10/australians-to-bypass-car-dealers-and-import-directly-from-japan-and-uk

So...bring on cheap

GTRs

E52 Elgrands

Y51 Cimas

and of course the beautiful e-200NV

And probably some toyota stuff that no-one cares about. And hopefully some small crazy models that I've never heard of

Very big win for consumers and small importers, and big lose for Nissan OZ and co.

[Duncan]

Oh the same article specifically mentioned that the 89 rule will become a 25 year old rule (not 30 year as currently expected), meaning any imports to 1993 will become available in 2018 when the rules change

[Prestige Motorsport]

Following passage through parliament there will be a 12 month period before the 25 year rule takes affect. So if that happens in the next 6 months or so for example then we could be able to use the new 25 year rule from late 2017.

Latest info which we will keep updated as things progress:

New 25 Year Import Rule for Australia - Prestige Motorsport

Vehicle Import Regulation Changes - Prestige Motorsport

What's happening next ? Govt. has a meeting scheduled for 31 March with stakeholders to discuss the detail of how the regulation changes will actually be applied to SEVS etc. This will be interesting in terms of additional models that will be allowed onto the SEVS register, and some other critical issues such as independent checking of kms.

[foibles]

Does anyone know which political party is more likely to represent the interests of this community - with regards to vehicle import legislation to be introduced before or after elections? (I am presuming most SAU members would rather see a more open importing framework, rather than a more prohibitive one?!)

Without wanting or even trying to be political, my guess is;

* Libs have stated their intended policy (on DPI / DoT websites) but really have no ambition or timeframe to push this at all. Darren Chester (Minister for Transport) is solely focussed on RSRT legislation and also infrastructure works - so it is likely the status quo will persist for a long time yet under this government

* ALP - if anything - would presumably make vehicle imports even tougher, and I'd not be surprised if a 'soft target' tax was imposed or increased (most people would not lose sleep if duty went back from 5% up to 10 or 15%). But ALP have been silent on this.

* Greens are probably the most 'anti' to open trade, and would likely ramp up those little niceties such as ozone regulations or fuel consumption targets, etc. I could see them raising the duties and levies a fair bit. I think these guys fully support a much higher LCT rate.

* I know for a fact that the Lleyjonhelm (Dem Libs) support an even more open importing framework - basically adopting productivity commission findings, meaning very few restrictions on importing. But a) he'll be lucky to be returned b) he's NSW only and c) he's a fringe player

I am just curious as to what anyone may KNOW (or suspect) with regards to how these elections may affect importing legislation into the future.

Edited April 22, 2016 by foibles

[Prestige Motorsport]

Hi Foibles. To answer you generally, we have been sourcing vehicles for import to Aust since 1999 and have seen a few import regulation changes in that time. I would say that any change of Govt. (or Minister within the same Govt.) is likely to be counter-productive to proposed legislation changes which will allow a greater range of vehicles to Aust for lower prices.

We have already seen one change of Minister since the current Govt started looking at the regulations which probably delayed the process several months, and the recommendations of the Productivity Commission have been watered down such that instead of being able to import 4 to 5 year old cars meeting certain quality criteria we are now looking at new cars under 12 months old and under 500km. There's a HUGE difference right there in terms of what this would mean to Aust and the prices we pay. Not sure many realise how big that change was as 5 years of depreciation is very significant for price on what could otherwise be a very low km and near new vehicle in terms of condition.

I can't imagine a change of Govt would result in more aggressive changes to the regulations than proposed by the previous one. Proposed changes are likely to be weakened further or there is the possibility they may be shelved altogether. From an enthusiasts standpoint the early election announcement was a disappointment, and personally with respect to this issue I'm hoping we see as few changes to the existing Govt. as possible, since they have committed to make changes which, while still not going far enough in my opinion, will at least be of some benefit to all motorists in terms of lower prices for better quality vehicles.

[tinytyrant]

what's the word on opening up of the SEVS eligibility?

i'm super keen on a car that has been knocked back from SEVS (wagon model but the sedan was sold here), but was hoping come the 2018 law changes it'd find it's way to eligibility.

[GTR-N1]

We have a free Tech Arvo coming up at Top Secret Imports at Blacktown on Sat 21st May. Both CEOs Jack and Garry are on different government bodies. I'm sure one of them can answer your question during Q&A.

[Prestige Motorsport]

Hi Tinytyrant. There's a link in our post above which explains the proposed changes in detail. A quick answer to your question is that many models currently excluded under SEVS may be allowed under the new criteria, and the removal of the compliance quota and acceptance of international safety standards should make compliance a lot cheaper and more viable for workshops with respect to rare models:

5 eligibility criteria

• High Performance

• Superior environmental performance / hybrids

• Disability features

• Rare vehicles

• Left Hand Drive, where right hand drive is not available