Our legislated national road vehicle standards, also known as the Australian Design Rules or ADRs, ensure that all new and used road vehicles being provided to the Australian market for the first time comply with critical standards for safety, anti-theft and emissions performance.
The Australian Government has appointed Dr Warren Mundy to conduct an independent review, which will examine how ADRs are aligned and harmonised with international standards and identify opportunities for improvement, including considering how the process of adopting internationally-harmonised ADRs can best support:
- Choice, safety and price outcomes for consumers,
- productivity and innovation in the vehicle and related industry sectors, and
- the net zero transition.
It will also consider how the process of adopting international standards into ADRs can be streamlined to reduce timeframes without compromising the Government's road safety objectives.
Feedback from vehicle manufacturers, unions, road safety advocates and other stakeholders will be important to understand what can be improved, how harmonisation practices influence decisions about providing vehicles to the Australian market, as well as expected impacts from other government policies such as the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard.
Dr Mundy has extensive experience as both an executive and board member in transport safety-critical businesses, including Melbourne Airport, Infratil Airports Europe and Airservices Australia-where he served on the safety committee.
Consultation closes on Friday 24 January 2025.
To have your say on ADR Harmonisation, visit https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/have-your-say/adr-harmonisation-review-2024-25.
