Guys pulled this off another forum, also read about it in lataest issue of Street Machine. Something we all could be affected by.
A group called the ACMC has become involved in the survival of the modified car culture. That means us who love to create our own version of the best vehicle whether it be a very quick rx3 , v8 lj Torana , or a prb clubman. There is a large number of people in this country that dabble in this hobby. Recently the RTA introduced a new law relating to modified vehicles called VBI 59 , that being the NSW version. The national version is called VSB 14. These laws make it allmost impossible to legally modify vehicles. Their only motive that I can see is to make change so that it appears that they are earning their bloated pay packets ( our tax dollars). I look at them as drones. Anyway , this group are attempting to bring together all of us to become a political force to resist draconian legistlations. This is not rocket science. It can easily be done. If achieved then we can lobby to get our way , same as the shooters lobby in the US. You only need about 2% of the vote to scare politicians and stop them in their tracks. Anyway , the ACMC are having a meeting and general get together on 26 th. Feb. gate 4 , Peter Brock Drive, Eastern Creek Raceway. It will also be a car exibition. Politicians will be present to be questioned. Check out the ACMC website for all information. All are welcome. They need max support. This could be the beginning of something big. Definitely overtime.
Australian Confederation of Motor Clubs (ACMC) - Home Page (taken the following from another forum)
http://www.confederationofmotorclubs.org.au/index.htm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is already happening, we know of a quite a few people who have tried to get blue slips on there muscle cars and were knocked back because they have had steering changes or disc brakes fitted and drums were only available in that particular year and model and have been now told they cannot register there cars the way they are! Pretty sad seeings that most upgrades particulary brakes are for the better. :mad:
I would love to comment but I'm too angry. Where do these public service Nazis get off. I will be there. Eddie
I'll be there. I'm sick and tired of all the rules the govt enforce. It's bad enough countries like the states and uk can have cars that we can only dream of. Not to mention the cost of vehicles for us compared to the states.
Tommy
I managed to dig up some info.
[align=center]
"We encourage all Clubs and cars to possibly gather at a central location on your areas and leave as a group convoy, many clubs and Enthusiasts are doing this in the outer Sydney areas already.
The event is being covered by a number of Media organizations plus Mike from Rodders Life will be covering the event, Pinky will be the Show & Shine MC for the day and the ACMC Inc will be making progress announcements throughout the morning regarding the Official Meeting outcomes !!
On this day you will hear the actual facts so we can move forward as an Enthusiast community in NSW, we are hoping for some favourable announcements from the NSW Roads minister so we can all get back to building our cars and continuing to make modifications in NSW.
Any Further info you need please forward questions to the ACMC Inc Website email address at - secretary@confederationofmotorclubs.org.au (secretary@confederationofmotorclubs.org.au) "
(http://xtremecarzone.com.au/STORAGE/EVENTS/2012/Feb-26th-Enthusiast-Conference.jpg)
[/align]
I think i will be there for the day , it will only happen if the numbers show up and support.
Unfortunately some of us are going to be on our way back from Bateman's Bay that Sunday......but thankyou to all who attend .....hopefully the message will reach the media that this legislation represents a step backwards in safety
Hopefully I will come along depends on work.
I hope this conference will achieve something!
But I've attended many upon many of press conferences similar.... Polies attend to look like they care and promise the world, but nothing ever happens because they Know better than you! They have "advisors" that know more than everyone!
A Political group is the answer, at the moment I dont vote for anyone so at least I can vote again!
and shows like ACA and Today Tonight dont help, we are all hoons!:boxing:
Have a read of this and then consider a future where we will all be driving a white Toyota Prius!!
NO TO VSCCS?
By Jeremy Braithwaite & Trevor Booth
In December 2011 the RTA, or RMS as they would prefer to be known, quietly killed off the old Engineering Signatory Scheme (ECS) and replaced it with a new scheme called VSCCS. The changes were made by way of an amendment to the Road Transport (Vehicle Registration) Regulations 2007 and did not therefore receive any parliamentary debate.
There are three separate areas of impact:
• The legislation which applies to all motorists who modify their vehicle in any way
• The appointment of certifiers
• The technical standards to which those certifiers are bound
The Legislation
The previous engineering codes of practice for light and heavy vehicles were removed from the legislation and the following was added:
[3] Clause 55A Insert after clause 55:
55A Modifications to registered vehicles
A person must not carry out modifications on a registered vehicle (whether by the addition or removal of components or otherwise) that results in the vehicle failing to comply with the applicable vehicle standards.
Additional clauses in Division 2 of the regulation were introduced which allowed the Authority to gazette 'Significant modifications to vehicles' and specified that vehicles thus modified should not be used on the road unless they had been certified under the VSCCS scheme.
It is implied that only modifications that have been gazetted would therefore fall under Clause 55A above; however another interpretation of this clause is that it stands alone and there is nothing in Division 2 which relieves the 'person' of his or her responsibility to ensure that their vehicle at all times complies with the 'applicable vehicle standards'. These are of course the Australian Design Rules which are applicable to all post 1972 vehicles. These are contained in Schedule 2.
At this point in time the Authority (RTA/RMS) has not gazetted the list of modifications, so the only current interpretation that can be made is that
all modifications require certification.
We have documented all aspects of the VSCCS scheme and its impact on different users on a website:
https://sites.google.com/site/no2vsccs/home
The website also contains a link to the Channel 10 News feature that went to air before Xmas featuring Trevor Booth.
Our site lists some of the modifications that, in our view, have been impacted by the introduction of the VSCCS. As even items such as seats in ambulances are impacted, it is hard to believe that the status quo will be allowed to remain for too long!
We are looking for clarification on this, and a number of other points. When such clarification is received, it will be published on the above site and its associated blog. In this way the site can serve as a clearing house for accurate information.
A final point to understand in relation to the legislation is that the 'Authority' can in the future add any item it wishes to the Gazetted List, again with no parliamentary scrutiny or advanced warning to the public. You will need to decide whether you are comfortable with this situation before you embark on a project, such as outfitting a 4WD for bush touring or restoring a car. In the latter instance you may not be able to refit the original period modifications and accessories, to the detriment of your car's history and authenticity.
The Appointment of Certifiers
The engineers operating under the ECS scheme were given approx 10 days notice to close down their business. They then had the choice of re-applying for the new scheme and many have chosen not to do so.
The Authority may argue that they had been discussing the new scheme for a long time - over 10 years in various forms - but the transitional arrangements have been ill considered and people who had embarked on major projects such as building a replica or an Individually Constructed Vehicle in RTA/RMS parlance can be in the position where they have paid one certifier to certify the build and cannot complete the project with that certifier.
There is no agreed procedure to hand the project over from the old ECS engineer to the new VSCCS Certifier, and we are hoping that this can be rectified in the future.
So in summary, more vehicles will require certification, but as things stand at present there are fewer people to do the work.
The Technical Standards
Many of the stakeholders including the ACMC, the CMC, the other car club groups, and a number of industry associations held discussions with the RTA/RMS in the period leading up to the introduction of the VSCCS and everyone that we have spoken to was under the impression that the NSW government would introduce VSB14 into the legislation together with some NSW specific additions. VSB14 is the National Code of Practice for Light Vehicle Construction and Modification. It is a guide for Modifiers as opposed to Certifiers and it was expected it would replace the Light Vehicle Code of Practice (LVCOP) which together with VSB6 was enshrined in the previous legislation. VSB6 is the code of practice for heavy vehicles.
Instead both were removed along with a large number of other technical documents; the full list appears here:
https://sites.google.com/site/no2vsccs/1-the-legal-position/changes-to-codes-or-practice
It had been intended to also introduce a new technical standard for Certifiers. We believe this may happen, but to date it has not. So the issue for the certifiers that have signed up for the new scheme is that they no longer have any alternate technical document to demonstrate compliance to the ADR's and other requirements of Schedule 2. Their only legal
option is to adopt the whole of the technical requirements and extensive testing regime of the ADR's. This would include crash testing for ICV's.
If they depart from the requirements of Schedule 2, and there is evidence that the RMS has encouraged this, then they may be assuming liabilities in the event of a claim. This highlights the entire issue of certifier liability to a new level; it is in itself a sensitive issue as the 'Authority' has introduced its own Professional Indemnity Insurance scheme.
The status quo also means that the Modifier of a vehicle has no legislated technical document upon which to base his modifications. And if we refer back to Clause 55A we will see that the modifier may be the person who is persecuted under this legislation. That could be the person who fits the bull bar to your 4WD or those upgraded callipers to your Jaguar.
We have raised these concerns with the RTA/RMS and await their response. When and if this is received it will be posted on our web site.
Introducing the ACMC
A large number of car clubs in this state are members of the Council of Motor Clubs (CMC). This organisation in its turn is a member of a new group called the Australian Confederation of Motor Clubs which has moved very quickly and organised an event at Eastern Creek on 26th February. Details will appear on the ACMC web site and if your club is affiliated with this organisation you should receive a flyer.
The ACMC is encouraging all member clubs to attend the event and to discuss their participation and the reasons for it with their local member and with their local press.
Hoping to see everyone at Eastern Creek. We have a blog page which will post developments and which also allows you a place to add your own comments:
http://no2vsccs.blogspot.com.au/
Jeremy Braithwaite is a Committee Member of the Thoroughbred Sports Car Club and member of a number of other car clubs.
Trevor Booth is a senior engineer who was a member of the ECS scheme.
How ridiculous is this whole thing, I guess we better get to that meeting after all.
WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP,I WILL BE THERE:boxing:
Yes
A day of hot wind, seems there too much panky hanky
going on in the mod world once its registered for road use as is.
and all the naughty current certifiers there all corrupt or so they say
they'll approve anything,what is going on?
The sooner some brave soul stands up and makes himself
a political voice for car enthusiasts an honest person he he
it will just get worse, if this keeps up, this nonsense,, next youll be converting the steering to RHD or back to left to pass on road usage back to the seventies Gene.....cheers............:exact:
:mad::mad::mad:I WILL BE GOING AS WELL.:boxing::boxing::boxing:
:mad: :mad: I WILL BE THERE :boxing::boxing:
We cant get anyone to run the country properly
so how is this going to work should postpone till
final outcome:mad::exact:
I'll be coming out to this one,
Looking on the bright side of things at least it will bring us all together for good day out. Hopefully we make some sort of difference??
Anyone keen on cruisin in as a group? & Any ideas on a meeting spot?
1. THE CURRENT POSITION‎
ACMC & the Enthusiasts Conference
The ACMC held an Enthusiasts Conference at Eastern Creek on Sunday 26th February where the Minister and the RTA/RMS met with delegates, made a number of announcements and an swered questions.
Following the conference the ACMC issued this statement:
Today's inaugural Motor Enthusiast Conference was a phenomenal success and we would like to thank all of the conference delegates and car show participants for their enthusiastic contribution.
Over 160 delegates had the opportunity to engage with the Minister and senior members of the RMS whilst outside hundreds of enthusiast cars were on display.
In attendance at the conference were:
Minister for Roads & Ports, Hon Duncan Gay MLC,
Senior Policy Advisor – Mr Andrew Huckel,
Acting Director for Customer and Compliance Services – Mr Peter Wells,
Deputy Director General for Policy and Regulation, Transport NSW – Mr Tim Reardon,
Principle Manager Roads, Registration and Licencing at Transport for NSW – Mr Terry Hickey
Manager Regulatory Scheme Policy, RMS – Mr Ken Cleary
RMS Vehicle Inspector – Mr Greame Snell,
Street Machine Magazine Editor - Geoff Seddon,
And
NSW Nationals Party Executive and Conference Chairman – Mr Alan Hay
NSW Nationals Senator John Williams also came alone to show his support for the Motor Enthusiast Community.
The key aspects of Minister Gay's speech included the following announcements:-
Section 55A of the 'Road Transport (Vehicle Registration) Regulation 2007' reinstating the relevance of ancillary documents and alternative options to meet compliance.
A respected member of the Motor Enthusiast Community to be appointed to the Safety Board that reports to the Minister
A new working group is to be formed in order to review outstanding issues pertaining to standards, legislation and implementation and reporting to the Safety Board. The Working Group is to have representation from the Motor Enthusiast Community, Signatories, RMS, Transport for NSW and NSW Police.
The 'abridged' break test is not to be mandatory but at the discretion of the Certifier
The 'abridged' break test is to be forwarded to the new working group for review; the Minister insists that any resolution must be safe, practical and affordable.
It is not intended that electronic stability control be mandatory on vehicles that do not already have an ESC.
When a dispute arises over the originality of pre ADR components a panel incorporating the Motor Enthusiast Community will be formed to report their findings to the RMS
VSI 50 will be forwarded to the new working group for resolution
VSB14 and VSI 59 will be forwarded to the new working group for resolution
Following 8+ years of stagnation the 'National Guidelines for Street-Rod Modification & Construction' will be forwarded to the new working group for resolution
It has been a historic day for the Motor Enthusiast Community and a new proactive relationship has been entered into with the RMS. There is still much work to be done but we are confident that within this new environment of consultation we can achieve our goals.
In recognition of his unparalleled contribution to the Motor Enthusiast Community; Conference Chairman Alan Hay was appointed Patron of the Australian Confederation of Motor Clubs. Congratulations Alan!
The RMS have provided documented answers to the questions submitted which will be available on the ACMC website on Tuesday.
A video recording of the morning session of Conference will be available on YouTube this evening.
Once again, thank you all for your continued support.
(from https://sites.google.com/site/no2vsccs/1-the-legal-position/acmc-the-enthusiasts-conference )
It ended up being a positive day! The ACMC had been in talks with the Govt. for the past 8 monthes or so and They actually listened! The conference was very professional and Duncun Gay (Min for Trans) was very pleasant. I am hopeless with details but basically the Govt and RTA will now work WITH the ACMC when making policies! so that means no more idiot RTA people telling us whats best for us! It was good to see Duncan Gay actually tell the RTA to pull there heads in (figuratively) and to work with the enthusiest comumity and not against. The ACMC had conducted a company to work out the $$$figures of what our industry brings to the country and to NSW.....NSW mod car industry is worth up to $400million annually and something like 900million nationally and employs thousands of jobs SO they had listen!!!!. I think the ACMC has done a fantastic job.
heres a couple of boring conference shots....
(http://i39.tinypic.com/1f8i82.jpg)
(http://i41.tinypic.com/e5fho2.jpg)
(http://i43.tinypic.com/34rj62d.jpg)
and with Mr Rodders life...
(http://i42.tinypic.com/maf81d.jpg)
and here with this grovelling man??????
(http://i42.tinypic.com/2n1ryn4.jpg)
He liked Garry Nelsons new ZO6 Vette car because it looked like a VIPER! (he was pointing to it):smile:
(http://i41.tinypic.com/ff4cug.jpg)