"Right to Repair" push gains traction in Australian agriculture

Farmers are calling for stronger Right to Repair laws to give them fairer access to fix their own machinery, reduce costly delays, and protect productivity during busy seasons.

Sean Cole, Advocacy and Rural Affairs Manager for GrainGrowers, said the issue has been a priority for the agricultural sector for more than a decade. “This is something we’ve been asking for in the ag industry for over a decade,” Mr Cole said. “It’s essentially about productivity — bringing us up to scratch with the motor vehicle industry.”

Under current legislation, most agricultural machinery worth over $100,000 is excluded from the Australian Competition and Consumer Act, preventing farmers from carrying out their own repairs without risking warranty breaches. Mr Cole explained that this can cause significant crop losses during crucial periods like harvest.

“If it’s three or four days before you can get help from a dealership, that can mean major crop losses,” he said. “You might be waiting while rain’s coming, when you could have fixed it yourself or had a local mechanic do it.”

GrainGrowers and the National Farmers Federation are calling for agricultural machinery to be included in the Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information Sharing Scheme, which would allow third-party mechanics access to diagnostic tools, manuals, and parts.

“It creates a level playing field for independent repairers and gives farmers more flexibility,” Mr Cole said. “Right now, we have fewer rights than car owners - and that’s a problem.”

The push for reform gained momentum following Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh’s speech at the 2025 Australian Repair Summit in Canberra, where he highlighted the potential productivity gains from stronger repair rights.

“I personally hope it’s the last harvest where we don’t have the right to repair,” Mr Cole said.

Implementing the scheme for agricultural machinery, he added, could help prevent downtime, reduce crop losses, and strengthen regional resilience while giving growers greater control over their operations.