Federal Government moves to harmonise ADRs with international standards

Assistant minister for infrastructure and regional development Jamie Briggs says the latest ADR reforms are a step towards ensuring that every time a UN regulation is updated the relevant ADR can be updated automatically, allowing the latest technology to be made available to Australian consumers as quickly as possible.

Briggs says the automatic adoption of UN regulations also removes unnecessary layers of bureaucratic process to further reduce red tape for the long term.

In the latest update the government has applied UN regulations 19 and 46, which relate to front fog lamps and rear vision devices.

The first allows for testing methods that better represent real-world conditions for front fog lamps, while the second allows the introduction of new types of rear vision devices and provides more robust testing methods.

Briggs claims applying these two regulations alone is expected to deliver almost $1 million in industry compliance savings every year, as manufacturers will have the option of supplying fully approved UN products as part of their certification of vehicles.

The reforms are in addition to the government’s recent decision to abolish the requirement for motorcycle manufacturers to install rear mudguard extensions on new models, which are set to result in industry compliance and manufacturing savings of $14.4 million every year.

Briggs confirmed the government is currently working through further UN regulations that can be applied in cooperation with industry and state and territory agencies, and promised more announcements throughout 2015.

Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries CEO Tony Weber today welcomed the government’s move to harmonise ADRs with UN regulations.

“We continue to work with the government throughout the harmonisation process to bring Australian Design Rules into line with the UN regulations,” Weber said.

“This will ensure that Australians continue to have access to the latest vehicle safety technology.”