HVIA has called on the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts to update the Road Vehicle Standards (RVS) administration system ROVER to reduce the unnecessary administrative burden on industry.
This week the HVIA ROVER Working Group met to discuss the pending requirements for new submissions to ROVER for ‘Opt-in’ Approvals. Members had raised concerns with HVIA that the time and cost for these submissions was excessive and not helped by ‘a 16-page form which only allowed single attachments to be uploaded at a time’.
Members were somewhat willing to accommodate this for first-time submissions to ROVER and first-time ‘Opt-in’ renewals but did not accept that a 16-page form would be expected for every renewal with the first industry renewals due just two years from now.
Industry is calling on the Department to update ROVER to allow for data previously submitted to be called up during renewal submission, reviewed by the applicant, then put through in a cleaner and more efficient process for all involved.
They also believe the future ROVER system should include provisions to automatically see when submissions are renewed, what areas have changed and for non-changing renewals, issue approvals within 24-48 hours.
In addition, HVIA is calling on the Department to waive fees, or at least reduce them, for a seven-year renewal of a test facility as we do not understand why a $370 fee would be incurred for this or what processing cost is involved if nothing has changed.
The submission also requests some leniency on renewals for non-standard trailers where there are existing vehicle exemptions – for example, over mass, over width. HVIA requests that these exemptions be carried over without the need to contact local jurisdictions to give re-approvals for vehicles which are already in operation on our roads.
HVIA is also seeking to confirm with the Department on how many ‘Opt-in’ approval submissions they are expecting based on the quantity rolled over back in 2021. From this, we are looking for assurance that the approval task will be adequately staffed to ensure there are no unexpected delays in approvals to industry upon the cut-off submission date of November 1, 2026.
In addition, there are some recommended improvements around linking first and second-stage manufacturing approvals in the Register of Approved Vehicles. Other suggestions include more up-to-date provisions for dealing with minor and inconsequential vehicle standards exemptions where it is acknowledged that a European standard has been updated and the Australian Design Rules are lagging in updating their European references.
Many of these topics were brought up by industry with the Department during the latest RVSA webinar. To receive an invite to future webinars for the RVSA and ROVER, email a request to RVSAcomms@infrastructure.gov.au.
HVIA generally welcomes that under the new Road Vehicle Standards Act (RVSA) and ROVER, electronic information held for approvals is now up to date and more suitably captured. However, it’s critical that we do not wait another 30 years to update ROVER to the full expected functionality for renewing expired approvals. Following the submission to the Department, HVIA will meet with key stakeholders to discuss possible ways forward.
A big thank you to all our members who contributed to this submission, and we will keep you posted on the outcome of discussions with the Department. For any HVIA members interested in joining the ROVER Working Group, please email your interest to r.michaud@hvia.asn.au.
Read More: Guide To Vehicle Approvals Renewals