Independent senator and former NRL star Glenn Lazarus yesterday drove a tank over a 2010 Dodge Journey to raise awareness of his proposal to introduce 'lemon laws' for Australian automotive consumers.
The Journey was crushed with the permission of the owners, Joe and Kate Masters, who have reportedly demanded a $40,000 refund for the vehicle, which has travelled 100,000km to date. According to a report published Saturday by the Sunshine Coast Daily, Fiat Chrysler Automotive Australia has stated that "we are left to conclude this stunt has little to do with reaching any genuine agreement with FCA."
Senator Lazarus, who entered Parliament as a member of the Palmer United Party in 2010, will face re-election on July 2, standing in his own name. Last week he announced his policy to introduce 'lemon laws' that would protect Australian new-car buyers.
"The people of Australia are buying over one million new cars per year," Senator Lazarus was quoted saying in his press release issued on Friday.
"In fact, last year was Australia's biggest year for new car sales with over 1.1 million cars sold.
"According to Choice, 75 per cent of new car buyers in Australia experience problems in the first five years and 15 per cent of buyers are never able to resolve these.
"For whatever reason, dealerships are not being helpful, car manufacturers are failing to acknowledge problems, repairs are not fixing the issues, and many people are unable to resolve their new car problems. As a result, families across the country are being left with significant debt because they are unable to sell their car which is unsafe and unreliable.
"Despite consumer protection laws and offices of fair trading, there are no real consumer protections in place to force car dealerships and vehicle manufacturers to resolve vehicle issues. We are seeing quite a few situations where consumers are being forced by dealerships to sign confidentiality agreements in order to receive help.
"Countries around the world have successfully implemented lemon laws to provide consumers with protection and I believe it's about time we did the same in Australia.
"Buying a new car should be an exciting time and I am determined to ensure the people of Australia have the consumer protections they need when making such a big purchase."
According to Senator Lazarus, the enhanced consumer protection for motorists will involve drafting new sections incorporated in Australian Consumer Law, strengthening penalties for non-compliance by car companies, and establishing a 'vehicle ombudsman'.
"Our policies will require vehicle manufacturers to address and resolve issues with new vehicles quickly and effectively, whether through replacements, fixes or refunds.
"These will cover all vehicles including caravans.
"Lemon laws are needed as a matter of priority in Australia and once -re-elected, I will work with the Government of the day to implement these laws.
"It is about time we had lemon laws in Australia to protect people from the impact of dud cars being sold in this country."