Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Morgan's in Australia - Update

This has always been a mystery to me ever since I started to get interested in importing things into Australia. I think it was the adoption of Australian standards for motorcycle helmets that triggered this awareness. When I investigated I spoke to someone at the Standards Association and was told that the Australian Standard was only intended to be a guide for manufacturers and was never intended to be a legal requirement for motorcycle helmets. In fact, at that time, it had been superseded by other international standards. That didn't stop the politicians and bureaucrats legislating that Australian motorcyclists were obliged to wear a helmet that conformed to an inferior standard.

The same issue applied to a huge number of automotive components. Instead of simply saying that European or American standards are acceptable they must be tested and comply with the Australian standards. This leads to greater costs and lack of choice for consumers.

In general terms this is something that the EU has achieved and now standards are the same right across Europe.