This Australian city wants to charge people to work on their cars
carexpertcom.au | 12/31/2024 | Jordan MulachResidents of Victoria’s most populous region have to pay upwards of $400 just to work on their own vehicles, after a local government area imposed strict rules around private land use earlier this year.
The City of Casey in Melbourne’s south-east, which includes suburbs like Cranbourne and Berwick, requires residents to apply for a private land use permit if they’re planning to store more than two unregistered vehicles for up to 90 days, store long heavy vehicles, and even dismantle, repair or service vehicles.
See, that’s why Oxford commas are so important. That last bit looks like it’s talking about “repair or service vehicles,” rather than “repair, or service vehicles.”
Residents of the local government area must provide a site plan that illustrates where the activity will take place when filing for a permit.
Applying for a permit costs $150 (a non-refundable sum which the City of Casey retains even if the application is unsuccessful), while the permit fee for storing three or more unregistered vehicles, or working on your own vehicle is $250.
According to the City of Casey’s Community Local Law, those without a permit mustn’t dismantle, repair or service vehicles …
There it is again
… on private land “in circumstances where the activity or use is detrimental to the amenity of the area in which the private land is located”.
While the City of Casey doesn’t have explicit guidelines on what it defines as being “detrimental to the amenity of the area”, the laws mean residents could be made to seek approval to do something as simple as an oil change, which could cost more than $400 before purchasing the relevant equipment.
To add another layer to the process, permit applications must be received 14 days before the date for which the permit is needed.
“Gee, ain’t I a tinkerer?”
Call your nearest Bail Bondo man.
You might say the government has got its “tow” in the door.
