Laws and regulations to protect Australians' rights

Privacy

In 2019, the National Transport Commission completed a project looking at whether Australia’s current rules for government collection and use of data will continue to protect individual privacy as transport technology develops. Infrastructure and transport ministers have endorsed design principles for government access to C-ITS and automated vehicle data, which will guide the development of laws to regulate government access to automated vehicle data for compliance and enforcement purposes. The National Transport Commission is now developing policy options for government access and use of vehicle generated data for the purposes of network operations, investment, maintenance, planning and road safety. More information is available at Government access to vehicle generated data.

The Attorney-General’s Department is currently conducting a Review of the Privacy Act 1988. The Office of Future Transport Technology is engaging in this Review and examining how potential changes to privacy laws may impact data privacy for users of future land transport technologies.  

Consumer product liability law

Connected and automated vehicles will, in some instances (e.g. aftermarket software devices), be consumer products. Consumer products are regulated under the Australian Consumer Law set out in the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.

Disability law

For people with disability, future transport technologies will offer potentially improved access to transport, enabling them to participate more fully in community life and the economy. Better access to transport will allow people with disability to better connect with family and friends, travel to and from work or study, or access community services such as healthcare. The Department manages the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002, which is reviewed every five years. More information is available at Transport accessibility.

The Department is working through the iMOVE Cooperative Research Centre on a project to examine if and how CAV modes and services can be incorporated into the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport.

Motor liability insurance

The National Transport Commission is working with the Commonwealth, states and territories to expand existing motor accident injury insurance schemes to enable people injured or killed in a crash involving an automated vehicle to access an equivalent level of care, treatment, benefits and compensation to that experienced by people injured or killed in an accident involving a vehicle controlled by a human driver. More information is available at Motor accident injury insurance and automated vehicles.