Vehicle standards review now underway

The Albanese Government will shortly commence a review of the Australian Design Rules – our legislated road vehicle standards – including to consider regulatory barriers to the supply of electric vehicles to the Australian market.

The Australian Design Rules (ADRs) ensure that all new and used road vehicles being provided to the Australian market for the first time meet critical national standards for safety, anti-theft and emissions.

This independent review will analyse ADRs and assess their alignment with international standards to identify opportunities for improvement and for the removal of unnecessary barriers.

This will include considering how the adoption of internationally-harmonised ADRs can support:

• choice and price outcomes for consumers, 
• productivity and technology innovation in the vehicle and related 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. 

The road vehicle industry, unions, road safety advocates and other stakeholders are invited to have their say as part of the review process. Submissions are now open until 24 January 2025.

The review will be conducted by Dr Warren Mundy who has extensive experience in transport safety-critical businesses, including Melbourne Airport, Infratil Airports Europe and Airservices Australia – where he served on the safety committee.

To find out more about this review and to have your say on ADR Harmonisation, please visit ADR Harmonisation Review 2024-25 | Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts