Spatiality’ is a word used often in our submissions to Federal and State departments and agencies. It refers to the geographic spread of the membership, the motor trades and consumers who access the products and services of the automotive value chain. Under MTA Queensland’s rules, the Board is representative of the geographic spatiality, with district representatives elected ‘to allow a more equitable representation’ of regional members. They provide the overview of the issues experienced by motor trade employers whilst Divisional Chairs brief on the industry circumstances for each of their respective sectors.

To deepen understanding of issues experienced by individual members across the state, a member engagement strategy has been implemented. This conforms with the obligation of ‘Service Excellence’ required by the Strategic Plan 2019-2021. Deputy Group Chief Executive Kellie Dewar’s Viewpoint overviews its purpose, which is beyond checking a member’s contact details. It includes listening to members’ views on their specific trade, their business issues, and their policy opinions. To ensure that the engagement is worthwhile both to the member and to the Association, staff will have the qualities and training to engage with members.

The technological transformations underway across the motor trades have differing impacts on the businesses of our geographically dispersed membership. The business models, service demands, and skill requirements vary according to location. In metropolitan areas, automated or electronic vehicles will increase exponentially compared to rural and remote areas. As an employers’ association, we have a duty to ensure the training curricula, service delivery and advocacy, regardless of location or the engine technology type serviced or repaired, reflects the member’s business interest and views. The member engagement strategy will contribute to achieving this outcome. A holistic outlook of members engaged in the automotive value chain is important to enable informed advocacy at stakeholder, departmental, agency and ministerial meetings.

The member engagement strategy will complement the current interactions between the corporate office and members. The 2018/2019 Financial Year Report card indicates that there were 5,233 direct member engagements and 5,416 exchanges with members on industrial relation matters. Rewardingly, our new MTA Queensland website had 289,600 page views and 95,400 website users.

Advocacy

Recently, MTA Australia hosted a table at the 2019 Federal Liberal President Party’s dinner with the Prime Minister Scott Morrison and selected Cabinet Ministers which I was invited to attend. Joining the table of MTA Australia attendees was the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Housing, Michael Sukkar. Overarching industry policy issues within the Assistant Treasurer’s portfolio were key agenda items. These included the proposed mandated and prescribed Code of Conduct for Access to Motor Vehicle and Repair information and technical data and automotive franchising issues.

There was the opportunity to discuss with the Minister matters important to Industry. Issues raised involved automotive skills and training within the new framework of the new National Skills Commission, the economic and social challenges and the technological dynamics associated with ‘mobility’, and the diverse impacts of technological and digital disruption.

Kellie Dewar in Viewpoint indicates I attended the National Transport Commission’s (NTC) roundtable to discuss development of a nationally consistent regulatory framework to support the safe commercial deployment of automated vehicles into Australia.

Over the past two years or so, we’ve been consistent submitters to the NTC on proposed policy options and will contribute to this current consultation. Careful consideration is being given to the policy options canvassed by the NTC. For our dealer and repairer membership, it appears there are risk implications that may arise from mechanical or digital malfunctions or accidents associated with automated vehicles. Significantly, the skill sets to support automated vehicle incidents have yet to be determined.

There’s been two meetings at MTA Queensland’s corporate office with Federal Members of Parliament following the recent Federal election. The Member for Bonner and Chair of the Standing Committee on Procedure Ross Vasta and the Member for Moreton and Shadow Assistant Minister for Education and Training Graham Perrett visited to familiarise themselves with our innovation and training facilities and to discuss motor trade and training issues in the context of local and national policy frameworks.

MTA Queensland’s corporate office is in the Federal electorate of Moreton and I assure members we are represented by a Member of Parliament supportive of the motor trades.

Collaboration at the national level will be on the agenda when the MTA Australia Board members and Chief Executive Officer meets with the MTA Queensland Board to discuss their priorities and focus for the future. The meeting will be on 22 August at the Association’s corporate office.

Challenges and Opportunities

In prior From the Desk of the CEO, I’ve referred to the Cooperative and Automated Vehicle Initiative (CAVI) underway with the Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR). I met with DTMR General Manager Denis Walsh for an update on the initiative’s progress. The goal of CAVI is to test cooperative and automated vehicle technologies that make roads safer by contributing towards zero road deaths and serious injuries on the state’s roads. It lays the technical foundations for the next generation of smart transport infrastructure and has four components: Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems Pilot – the largest on-road testing trial in Australia of cooperative vehicles and infrastructure; Cooperative and Highly Automated Driving Pilot; Vulnerable road user pilot; and Change management.

The MTA Institute’s auto-electrician capability relating to wireless technology will be utilised to install and remove the technology that will be fitted on the vehicles to gather the data. The project is expected to be implemented by 2020. At the conclusion of the trial the data gathering technology will be removed and the vehicles restored to their original state.

And the last thing: An accolade

With much enthusiasm, I share a significant achievement in which each of us may celebrate and take pride. MTA Queensland has won the annual Australian Business Awards (ABA) – Business Innovation Award.
Our application had to meet strict and specific criteria that included demonstrating the core values of business innovation, employee engagement, customer satisfaction, experience management, business sustainability, product and technology innovation via a set of comprehensive award categories. The focus of our application was detailing the business innovation initiative to establish in 2017 the MTAiQ, the first automotive/mobility innovation hub in Australia.

Achieving the ABA – Business Innovation Award supports the January 2017 decision and vision of the MTA Queensland Board to provide leadership on the emerging innovations and technological advances affecting the motor trades. It reflects too the commitment of the MTA Group staff to achieve the objective of a stand-alone innovation hub – the MTAiQ.

Congratulations and thank you on the substantial achievement.

Over the coming months, the intention is to build on the MTAiQ’s award-winning status. The intention is to establish an overarching body undertaking major national projects.

Until next month, as Henry Ford, the industrialist and the founder of the Ford motor company said, ‘execute ideas with enthusiasm . . . as it is the bottom of all progress’.