Overview
The design of this framework is a major milestone on the road towards national reforms for automated vehicles in Australia. It was developed in collaboration with governments and industry.
The framework aligns with international standards and addressing Australia’s unique conditions. At the centre of the framework is a national regulator and national safety law, supported by a general safety duty. The remainder of the end-to-end framework supports the safety law to ensure that we:
- achieve national outcomes, to support a strong national market
- close potential gaps in the law, and
- manage the flow-on impacts to different sectors from introduction of this new technology.
Now that the framework has been approved by Ministers, we are working with the Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts and other government partners to develop the new national law.
Key documents
The agreement to the framework is one of a series of key milestones, as Australia moves closer towards the introduction of Automated Vehicles on our public roads. Other key decisions on aspects of the framework are set out below.
Motor accident injury insurance and automated vehicles
Transport ministers agreed in August 2019 on a national approach to insurance for automated vehicles, that requires existing motor accident injury insurance schemes to provide cover for automated vehicle crash injuries.
Ministers responsible for motor accident injury insurance schemes, through the Board of Treasurers, have been asked to endorse the transport ministers’ decision. A treasury officials working group is considering the policy issues and options identified in this project, and will report to the Board of Treasurers on progress.
Once the Board has made a decision, further work by all Australian governments, with support of the NTC, is required to:
- review insurers’ mechanisms to recover their claims costs
- create provisions enabling people involved in an automated vehicle crash to access MAII schemes
- develop a data access framework for MAII insurers to determine liability.
Key documents
Safety assurance system for automated vehicles
The purpose of this project was to develop a safety assurance system to support the safe, commercial deployment of automated vehicles to the Australian market.
In November 2018, ministers endorsed the outcomes of the Decision Regulation Impact Statement on safety assurance for automated driving systems, including the approach to ensuring safety of automated vehicles at first supply.
Following this, continued work on safety assurance saw this approach further refined. The current agreed approach to safety assurance is reflected in the regulatory framework endorsed by Ministers in 2022.
The Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts is implementing the agreed safety assurance systems for first supply and in-service safety in their new safety law.
Key documents
On-road enforcement for automated vehicles
In June 2023, Infrastructure and Transport Ministers agreed to policy positions for a nationally consistent approach to on-road enforcement for automated vehicles. These policy positions, set out in our On-road enforcement for automated vehicles paper, will inform changes to state and territory laws relating to:
- law enforcement interactions with automated vehicles
- law enforcement access to automated vehicle data, and
- law enforcement interactions with the automated vehicle in-service regulator.
The NTC monitors international and industry developments to identify any potential impacts to these policy recommendations, in response to real-world data, technological progress, and development in international automated vehicle regulations. As AV technologies and standards evolve, these policy positions may be revised and adapted accordingly. The NTC will coordinate with states and territories, the Commonwealth Government, and other stakeholders to continue to refine these policies as required.
Key documents
Contact us
f you’d like to express interest in the program, or ask us a question about our work, we’d like to hear from you. You can contact us at automatedvehicles@ntc.gov.au.
