The Right to Repair is the principle that consumers and independent technicians should be able to repair products — like phones, laptops, and appliances — without unreasonable barriers. This includes allowing reasonable access to spare parts, repair manuals, diagnostic software, and tools.
In Australia, there are growing calls to enshrine this right into law for a wide range of consumer good, driven by concerns about rising e-waste, unaffordable repairs, and the monopolisation of after-sales service by manufacturers. At present, many devices are designed in ways that make repairs difficult or impossible, such as by gluing in batteries, using proprietary screws, or locking software.
In 2021, the Productivity Commission released a report identifying significant obstacles to repair in Australia, including design practices, software locks, and restrictions based on intellectual property law (Productivity Commission Report). It recommended legal changes to make repair easier, such as mandatory access to repair parts and diagnostics, and clearer consumer labeling on durability and repairability. These recommendations were echoed in report from the Circular Economy Ministerial Advisory Group, The Circular Advantage (2024) and the Senate Environment and Communications References Committee’s report, No Time to Waste (2025).
Some progress has been made. A mandatory Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information Sharing Scheme was introduced in 2022, requiring car manufacturers to ensure service and repair information is accessible and affordable to Australian repairers and registered training organisations, with a view to decrease costs and increase accessibility for car repairs across the country. This scheme is currently under review. However, broader reforms covering electronics and household appliances are stagnating and Australia is now lagging behind international efforts.
In 2021 the UK introduced ecodesign, labeling and a right to repair over certain categories of electronic good (including household washing machines/washer driers, dishwashers, refrigerators, and electronic displays) with a view to reduce waste by increasing product lifespans. These regulations require producers or these products (or their representatives) to ensure spare parts are made available for minimum periods ranging from 7 to 10 years after the last unit of the model has been placed on the market in the UK. The regulation also requires certain repairs be possible using commonly available tools, and that maintenance and repair information will be made available to professional repairers for extended periods.
In July 2024 the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation commenced operation in the EU; This regulation establishes a framework to create ‘ecodesign requirements’ over a wide variety of consumer and industrial goods. In addition to addressing other circularity objectives, this regulation allows the EU to set durability, reusability, upgradability and reparability standards, and improve the availability of information relating to product sustainability.
For Australia to truly support the right to repair, further action is needed—particularly in changing intellectual property laws, implementing circular design standards, mandating software support periods, supporting repair cafés and independent repairers, and empowering consumers through transparent product labeling. A more repairable economy is not only better for the planet, but fairer for consumers and small businesses.
If you are interested in visiting a Repair Café close to you, the Australian Repair Network run through the Griffith University Law Futures Centre provides an Australia wide interactive map available here.
