Australia's peak farm bodies have renewed their push for a legislated Right to Repair for agricultural machinery, saying the lack of reform continues to cost regional producers time and money.

At last week’s Australian Repair Summit, held by Griffith University’s Law Futures Centre, the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) joined global repair leaders, policymakers, industry and academics to map the future of Right to Repair in Australia.

NFF President David Jochinke said the summit highlighted the need for a legislative solution that allows farmers to use qualified repairers without fear of voiding warranties or facing long delays.

“For too long, farmers have been locked into getting certain services and repairs done only by authorised dealers and agents, adding unnecessary costs to farm businesses,” Mr Jochinke said.

“The NFF and its members believe there is a sensible solution that provides farmers with the choice to use qualified professionals for machinery repairs, without fear of voiding warranties or facing long waits to access mandated dealer networks.

"It is time to progress a legislative solution.”

What is "Right to Repair"?

Right to Repair is the principle that consumers and businesses should be able to fix the products they own, such as machinery, vehicles, electronics or farm equipment, without being forced to rely

solely on authorised dealers.

In agriculture, the issue centres on farmers’ ability to diagnose and repair their machinery independently or through local, qualified repairers.

At present, many modern tractors and harvesters are locked behind manufacturer software or warranty restrictions that make it difficult, or even impossible, for farmers to carry out repairs themselves.

The NFF has backed the Board of Treasurers’ commitment that Right to Repair for farm machinery will form part of national competition policy reforms.

The Productivity Commission has found such a measure could add hundreds of millions of dollars to GDP, aligning Australia with Canada and Colorado in the United States, where Right to Repair is already law.

The push follows Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ remarks in November 2024 to the Australian Business Economists, when he confirmed plans to develop a general Right to Repair.

At the time, NFF Chief Executive Officer Tony Mahar welcomed the renewed focus but warned that agricultural machinery must be included.

“Farmers across Australia know all too well the cost of equipment downtime,” Mr Mahar said.

“When machinery is out of action during harvest, it costs time and money.

Farming bodies argue that, just like with cars, they should be able to choose repairers for their agricultural machinery.

"We’ve been pursuing the Right to Repair to give farmers greater flexibility to use a suitably qualified repairer of their choice without fear of voiding warranties or travelling long distances or waiting excessive periods to access supplier repairers.”

Timely repairs are critical

The NFF’s Right to Repair Taskforce, a coalition of commodity councils and state farming groups, continues to lobby for practical changes that let farmers keep machinery running during critical harvest windows.

NSW Farmers also welcomed Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury Andrew Leigh’s recent comments at the summit acknowledging that the absence of Right to Repair laws was weakening regional economies.

President Xavier Martin said the need for reform was long overdue.

“Right now, much of our modern farm machinery can only be fixed by an authorised repairer, but this often costs a fortune and there’s always the likelihood of costly delays,” he said.

“We can choose who fixes our cars and trucks, but we can’t choose who fixes the ag machines that help us feed and clothe the nation, and that’s costing our industry time, money and productivity.”

Mr Martin urged the Federal Government to expand the Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information Sharing Scheme to include agriculture.

According to the Productivity Commission, legislating a Right to Repair could lift farm productivity by $97 million annually.

“Farmers in countries like Canada have had this right for years, and so has our automotive industry here in Australia,” he said.

“It’s simply time we corrected this.”

Both the NFF and NSW Farmers say the government now has all the evidence it needs to act.

“The recognition of this problem today has been very encouraging,” Mr Martin said.

“We need the Federal Government to act now to remove the barriers restricting the open repairs market for farm machinery—and we’re ready and willing to work with them on this.”