NSW mechanics and other tradespeople working on heavy vehicles in the state again need a licence to trade
Formal licences for heavy vehicle repairs have been reinstated in NSW, fair trading minister Matthew Mason-Cox has advised.
The announcement is effectively a reversal of a side-effect of changes in the Motor Dealers and Repairers Act, which came into effect on December 1 last year.
Stakeholders, including the Australian Trucking Association NSW branch and NatRoads noted that the changes meant unqualified mechanics may have been legally able to work on some of the state’s biggest and most powerful vehicles.
The reforms were championed by Mason-Cox, but Roads Minister Duncan Gay was quick to demand amendments.
The new rule, which sees repairers continue to be regulated by the 2013 version of the Motor Dealers and Repairers Act, has been in effect since February 27 this year.
“Any NSW trader that does heavy vehicle repairs will require a motor vehicle repairer’s licence and tradespeople who perform repair work will need a valid tradesperson certificate,” Mason-Cox says.
He notes that the decision came about after consultation with the industry and other stakeholder groups.
It is not clear if mechanics will need to update their previous licences.