The Australian Department of Transport has recently announced changes in regulations regarding road vehicles.
According to the Motor Vehicle Standards Act (MVSA) of 1989, all road vehicles must be entered on the Register of Approved Vehicles (RAV) by June 30, 2023, before they can be provided to the market for the first time.
This deadline marks the end of the transitional period, according to a news release by the Caravan Industry Association of Australia.
The department has issued a Guidance Note to explain the process for entering MVSA-plated road vehicles onto the RAV for entities that may have plated vehicles on hand after June 30, 2023.
The note clarifies that from July 1, 2023, entities providing vehicles in Australia for the first time must ensure that their vehicles meet the applicable Australian Design Rules (ADRs) before they can be entered on the RAV and provided for use in transport on public roads.
This regulation applies to low ATM trailers as well, which must be assessed for meeting the latest version of VSB 1, currently Version 6. Trailers that were plated under the MVSA will not be exempt from this requirement if they are first provided after June 30, 2023.
The department is advising approval holders to transition to the new regulations as soon as possible to minimize MVSA-plated vehicles in the market post-June 30, 2023, and to avoid potential issues in submitting vehicles onto the RAV.
It is important for Vehicle Type Approval (VTA) holders to communicate with their retail outlets to ensure that any MVSA product in the market is on the RAV by July 1, 2023.
For more information, entities can visit the Department’s RVSA-dedicated Contact Us page and submit an online inquiry.