Creating a sustainable future for Australia
Australian Repair Network brings together a wide range of stakeholders interested in or working in the repair sector, who genuinely want to engage in open and respectful dialogue; with industry, other sectors and the community at large about the legislative and policy changes that are being developed to respond to the international right to repair movement.
What we do
We engage with all levels of government, policy makers, industries, repairers and the community to facilitate the need for a right to repair in Australia. We recognise the complexity of the wide range of interests involved in ensuring the longevity of a range of goods, machinery and equipment. We work closely with universities and resource institutions on priority themes related to repair, durability and product life extension.
Why we do it
We believe that education, dialogue, and exchange is fundamentally important to ensuring our society recognises the social, environmental and economic benefits of repairability and the role it can play in creating a sustainable future for Australia. We encourage you to become involved: make contact, follow our research and initiatives, and remain connected for the latest Australian Repair Network updates and news.
Upcoming event
Public Lecture: Repairing Competition: When Intellectual Property Amounts to Refusal to Repair presented by Anthony Rosborough
23 May 2024 - 5.15pm - 6.30pm in person or online
Professor Leanne Wiseman is pleased to invite you to attend a public lecture presented by Anthony Rosborough, Assistant Professor of Law & Computer Science at Dalhousie University and Doctoral Researcher at the European University Institute.
We are delighted that this lecture will be introduced by The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh, Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities & Treasury, Assistant Minister for Employment, Federal Member for Fenner, Parliament of Australia and commentary following the lecture will be provided by The Honourable Patrick Keane, AC, KC, who served as a Justice of the High Court of Australia from 2013 to 2022.
The Right to Repair has become front of mind for policymakers and consumers in recent years. It promises to combat planned obsolescence, reduce costs, and give consumers greater choice and access to the parts, tools, and information necessary for the repair of everyday products, equipment, and devices. Public interest groups and governments around the world have successfully implemented legal reforms to achieve these goals, albeit primarily as part of consumer law frameworks.
But a lesser-explored dimension of the right to repair is its relationship to competition policy and market power. When access to parts, tools, information, and software is restricted, it is not only consumers that suffer. Independent technicians, suppliers of parts, tools, and follow-on innovators are kept from doing business. In practice, this impacts a broad range of industries, including motor vehicles, agricultural machinery, medical devices, and many others. While repair restrictions result in consumer “lock in”, they also create market “lock out” for manufacturer-adjacent and independent businesses. This can undermine fair competition and, in some cases, concentrate power held by a small group of original manufacturers.
In this public lecture, Rosborough will explore the competition and anti-trust aspects of the Right to Repair, highlighting the importance and value of independent repairers and suppliers in secondary markets. This includes a look at the complex relationship between the exercise of intellectual property (IP) rights and competition policy and a comparison of proposed reforms to enable the right to repair across a number of jurisdictions. Particular focus will be given to recently proposed changes to Canada’s Competition Act that address the Right to Repair. Overall, the talk will highlight the relevance and importance of looking at Right to Repair policy reforms through the lens of market power and fair competition.
This public lecture is hosted by Professor Leanne Wiseman's ARC Future Fellowship. Unlocking Digital Innovation: IP and the Right to Repair, ARC, Law Futures Centre and Griffith University.
Register here.
4th Annual Repair Summit - 2 August 2024
Professor Leanne Wiseman and the Australian Repair Network will host the 2024 Australian Repair Summit on Friday, 2 August 2024 at the University of Technology in Sydney. More details about the event will be available soon.
Steering committee
View the Australian Repair Network steering committee members, including representatives from universities, not-for-profit organisations, national industry associations, advocates, campaigners, and Australian consumer associations.
Events
Events have included:
Griffith University's Professor Leanne Wiseman, the Law Futures Centre and the Repair Summit Steering Committee's Australian Repair Summit.
Griffith University Law Futures Centre forums: 'Can we fix it? A Right to Repair for Australia?' and the 'Building Back Better: ReUse, Repair and Recycle Stakeholder Workshop'.
Media
View various media articles, television segments, radio interviews and discussions related to Australian Repair Network and its aims.
Sustainable Development Goals
The Right to Repair initiative is part of the Law Futures Centre's commitment to address issues such as sustainable cities and communities; responsible consumption and production; and climate change for the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs. ).
Community Repair Groups Australia
The Repair Café concept began in the Netherlands in 2009 and has since grown to a global movement of over 3,000 repair cafes operating worldwide.
In Australia the first repair cafe was held in Sydney in 2015 and now there are around 110 repair cafes listed on the Community Repair Group map along with other group initiatives relating to repairing, fixing and mending activities. Across Australia repair cafes and other fix it initiatives run independently and differently. They support communities to divert their useful but broken items from landfill and premature e-waste recycling, share practical repair knowledge, raise awareness of the circular economy, reduce the impact on the environment and support social inclusion. The type of repairs will vary with each repair event and group because these are dependent on the skill set of the volunteers available. Sessions are usually free but donations are welcomed to help with ongoing costs.
Interactive map of repair cafes in Australia (zoom to interact)
Contact us or join our mailing list
Please be advised, there is no fee or charge to sign up to the Australian Repair Network.
Contact details
- Phone
- +61 7 3735 3260
- Location, delivery and postal address
- Professor Leanne Wiseman
- Griffith Law School
- Griffith University
- Nathan campus, N 61 1.07
- QLD, 4111, Australia