THE Tractor and Machinery Association of Australia (TMA) has welcomed Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ announcement of productivity reforms to improve right to repair (R2R) and emphasised the need for funding to focus on improving competition for farmers.

Farmers across Australia who want R2R for their agricultural equipment will be eagerly anticipating benefits to the agricultural sector from the Australian Government’s new commitments to productivity.

“The TMA’s members are aligned across the agricultural machinery supply chain in supporting Australian farmers with high-quality, safe agricultural machinery that reduces downtime and improves farmer incomes,” TMA executive director Gary Northover said.

“The TMA has already been working hard to advance collective industry efforts to join our global counterparts in providing R2R for farmers and making great inroads, with members who are already servicing the R2R needs of farmers.

“The treasurer’s announcement provides the opportunity for industry to continue working together with federal and state governments to deliver stronger outcomes for agricultural productivity by securing R2R for farmers that protects incomes, improves productivity and ensures safe operation of agricultural equipment.”

The TMA and its members have a united industry approach to pursuing more immediate R2R options and protections for farmers and to building greater awareness and opportunities available across Australian operations.

The TMA has been working with industry and government to advocate for these rights for farmers.

Northover said that one of the biggest barriers to productivity in the agricultural machinery sector was the availability of skilled workers to fill in-demand jobs at dealers in regional and rural communities.

“We know for example that dealers across our network are looking for skilled workers to do the jobs that can advance capacity to support our farmers and we’ve seen statistics that show that at any one time almost 100 per cent of dealers can be advertising for workers, with often low applicant numbers and fill rates less than 50 per cent,” Northover said.

“It is essential that efforts to improve productivity also focus on the issue of a skilled workforce and we now look forward to working with governments, farmers and industry to achieve much-needed benefits for farmers from these new productivity reforms.”