07/11/2024
Brisbane Wheelchair Lifters Statement Toyota Hiace Welcab
Toyota Hiace Welcab Federal Government Issues and Compliance Model Amendment
Over the past few months, we have received several phone calls and emails (some were very angry) regarding the cancellation of the Import Compliance Model Report in March 2024 for the Toyota Hiace Welcab Wheelchair Accessible Vans and the new Amended Compliance Model that got the Toyota Welcab Hiace Model Report ban lifted in September. We would like to address a few items regarding this matter.
Our Limited Involvement
Brisbane Wheelchair Lifters was not involved in any of the data collection or testing for the new Amended Test Model at all. Our only involvement was to hire out our Welcab Lift Automation Control Unit that we made in 2018 for a previous project and supply some used lifters to the Model testing parties.
Brisbane Wheelchair Lifters was not involved in the evidence collection, data compiling or editing of the new Amended Compliance Model Report for the Toyota Hiace Welcab nor did we design, engineer or manufacture any of the new products that the new Amended Model requires to be installed. The new products are manufactured by Mobility Components and are engineered to a very high standard.
Regarding the new Amended Compliance Model Report - We are very happy that the Federal Government has finally stepped up and forced the import industry to make their products safe for disabled families. We believe the Model Report is an excellent step in the right direction and should go even further in the areas of vehicle safety.
The most important item and my greatest concern regarding the new Amended Compliance Model Report for the Toyota Hiace Welcab is how it’s going to be implemented. The existing vehicle importers/car dealer and their approved workshops that have, in our view, been undertaking work below the Australian Standards for Wheelchair Vehicles, State and Territory Transport Department Regulations and NDIS Quality Assurance Standards for over a decade, are now going to became professional automotive disability equipment modifiers and installers. In our opinion, we believe this could be a recipe for disaster for the reasons below.
1. Competence and Integrity: The businesses that have been knowingly selling imported disability vans to vulnerable people without proper wheelchair restraints fitted, missing airbags, or complied incorrectly as campervans or commercial vehicles are now going to be relied upon to do the right thing while reducing their profit margin at the same time. For the past 12 years, we have repaired Toyota Welcab vehicles all over Australia. During this time about 90% of the vehicles we have come across have not complied to the Australian Standards and approximately 50% of them without compliant wheelchair restraints
2. Skilled Labour and Equipped Workshops: The vehicle importers approved workshops will be required to employ more skilled staff and have fully equipped and fitted out workshops to do the extra work required by the new Amendment while holding tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of parts. We believe this will be a hard ask to achieve in a very short period of time
3. Certification and Inspection How will the new Amended Compliance Model be regulated, and will the existing Inspectors and Compliance Officers from the importers be Certifying the new Amended Model Vehicles? The possibility of not having any State Transport Department Certified Automotive Engineer or Workshop inspecting the installation of the modification works is truly worrying as it is required for almost every other disability vehicle modifier in Australia. We would like to see an independent body with oversight of the entire process, policing any deliberate attempts to circumvent the Australian Standards for Wheelchair Vehicles 2021 or will it be self-regulation by the car dealers and their associated workshops?
Successful Outcomes for the Imported Toyota Hiace Welcab Disabiltiy Van
Having serviced, modified and repaired at least 500 Toyota Welcab Lifters in the past twelve years we believe it is one of the safest and most reliable wheelchair lifts sold in the Australian marketplace when it has been modified to comply Australian Standards. It is the most cost-effective and reliable disability vehicle in Australia. The lift has been manufactured by a team of incredible engineers at Toyota to a quality and reliability that Toyota demands from all its vehicles. The lift has been used by Toyota for almost 20 years and is constantly being updated and made safer.
The biggest issue has always been that some unscrupulous car dealers and their inferior work practices have been selling non-complied wheelchair accessible vehicles. It is our belief that they need to be removed from the compliance engineering process of the Welcab Lift.
We believe a new direction should be taken with the Toyota Hiace Welcab Compliance Amendment Model. That new direction should be a more professional approach whereby the Federal Government consults directly with industry stakeholders including, Independent Automotive Engineers, Disability Equipment Engineering Companies, Testing Laboratories, Occupational Therapists and Disability Advocacy Groups. All these parties should have input into the Amendment Model to ensure the best outcome for the Disabled Automotive Community.
The implementation of the Amended Compliance Model should only be completed by professional independent Disability Engineering Workshops that:
1. have no extensive financial connections to the import industry.
2. have been trading in the Disability Engineering field for at least five years.
3. any new business wishing to be involved should have an extensive vetting process to ensure strict compliance with Australian Standards; and is not a back door business of an importer.
4. Certifying Engineers will need to ensure compliance but also ensure mandatory reporting of non-compliant disability vehicles.
Here at Brisbane Wheelchair Lifters our passion for safe and compliant disability vehicles goes beyond our business. Our own director Sean Wallace’s son has cerebral palsy quadriplegia and uses a wheelchair. This was the reason behind starting the business to ensure safe and compliant disability vehicles are available to those who need them most. Brisbane Wheelchair Lifters will continue to advocate for the disability community to ensure the best outcomes moving forward and we urge stakeholders to join with us. https://brisbanewheelchairlifters.com.au/
