Retail Dealership

Introduction of Approved Workshop Criteria

Caravan Industry Association of Australia has introduced the Service and Repair Accreditation Program (SRAP). From 10 August 2026, the relevant criteria from SRAP have been added to the RDAP criteria so any dealership that operates a workshop on the same site as their dealership must comply with all criteria set out in this document, including the additional workshop-specific criteria items. For those businesses, workshop specific criteria will form part of the standard accreditation assessment. Once accredited, those dealerships with workshops will carry the “Dealer with Approved Workshop” Accreditation Key (as below).

Existing RDAP Businesses pre-10 August 2026: Existing RDAP dealerships may choose to include their onsite workshop under accreditation at any time. To do so, the dealership must meet the additional workshop-specific criteria set out in this document - the annual fees for these RDAP Businesses will be grandfathered at the current rate until the RDAP businesses 2028 payment cycle. Once the criteria have been met, those dealerships with workshops will carry the “Dealer with Approved Workshop” Accreditation Key. Existing RDAP accredited dealerships that choose not to add their workshop are under no obligation to do so. Their dealership accreditation will continue its current terms and will remain unaffected.

Why become accredited?

• Independent Analysis & Risk Mitigation: Receive an objective evaluation of your business practices through the identification of process gaps to ensure legislative requirements are met.
• Access Industry-Leading Tools & Support: Gain the resources and assistance needed to implement top-tier business practices and customer support.
• Productivity & Profitability Insights: Gain valuable insights for improving productivity and profitability through a monthly Industry RV Sales Report and an annual Dealer Visitor Report.  These reports utilise advanced location intelligence to analyse your customer patterns and identify new market opportunities.
• Unlimited Access to Compliance Experts: Benefit from the expertise of our industry-leading team of caravan compliance engineers to help ensure the quick resolution of any compliance concerns, including caravan modifications, mass and design issues or gas and electrical standards.
• Free Legal Advice: 30-minute consultation every financial year with our partners Kyard Business Law and HR Legal.
• Enhanced Credibility: Improve customer credibility and trust through participation in a nationally recognised accreditation program.
• Competitive Advantage: Gain a competitive edge through participation in industry marketing campaigns and recognition by the industry as a reliable and professional operation.

By becoming accredited, you demonstrate your commitment to excellence and gain access to a wealth of resources and support that can help your dealership thrive in the competitive caravanning and camping industry.

Check out the Retail Dealership Accreditation Program flyer.

Why purchase through an accredited dealership?

An accredited dealership:

• Is committed to providing good business practices
• Adheres to stringent regulatory compliance
• Abides by a code of conduct for customer liaising, sales and service
• Has policies and procedures in place ensuring professional sales and service conduct
• Employs staff who are registered/licensed to comply with regulators

Accreditation Process

Steps for dealerships to become RDAP accredited:

Note: Once Caravan Industry Association of Australia receives an application for RDAP and payment is made, the business will be provided access to the RDAP section of the Industry Portal, which provides further resources, including business templates and a workbook to assist with the accreditation process.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for RDAP, retail dealerships must be able to confirm adherence to the following:

• Operate out of a fixed business address;
• Employ full-time onsite sales staff;
• Have caravan (including camper trailers, tent trailers, pop-tops, fifth wheelers and similar) and motorhome sales comprising a significant component of business being conducted within the dealership;
• The stock holding owned and/or under floor plan (or some other financial arrangement) must exceed the stock held on consignment for sale on behalf of consumers;
• Have a commitment to sign and execute a licence agreement;
• Ability to pay all relevant RDAP fees.

Getting Started

To help you with your application, download the Accreditation Criteria and Accreditation Workbook below.

You will need to provide documentation as evidence that you comply with the accreditation criteria. Should you require assistance, Caravan Industry Association of Australia may be able to assist with business templates.

Getting Organised

Taking an organised approach to accreditation will be very helpful.

You will be required to complete an initial on-site audit. For this, you will need to provide documented evidence demonstrating that your business complies with the Retail Dealership Accreditation Program (RDAP) criteria. Caravan Industry Association of Australia offers self-help templates for many of the required processes. The Retail Dealership Accreditation Workbook will assist you in gathering the required evidence and understanding why implementing the elements of accreditation into your business makes good sense.

We recommend establishing a file to hold all the required documentation. This file will serve as the framework for your application and may be requested by the assessor visiting your business.

The accreditation process also presents an opportunity to lift your business’ performance. Your staff may have good suggestions on how best to implement the program’s requirements, so give them a chance to have a say and gain ownership of the process.

Conduct a gap analysis to determine where you comply with the requirements and where further effort is needed to reach compliance standards. Involve your staff in assessing current standards against the requirements. Depending on the size of your dealership, consider establishing a project team tasked with meeting regularly to review progress and keep everyone informed.

Useful resources and templates are included in the RDAP Hub to help you prepare. If you have any specific questions or need assistance completing the application, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team.

Code of Conduct

Successful applicants who have been granted accreditation status are obliged to commit to the RDAP Code of Conduct, which states:

• Our organisation will endeavour to follow best business practices by ensuring continuous review and improvement of all operational documentation.
• We acknowledge our responsibility to meet the reasonable expectations of all customers and suppliers to the best of our ability.
• All our customers will be treated equally, and all reasonable concerns and queries shall be fairly and amicably dealt with as soon as possible.
• Customers will be informed of the terms and conditions of any transaction including terms of payment and cooling off period.
• We will commit to presenting our facilities, products and/or services in the best possible way taking reasonable measures to ensure a quality customer interaction.
• Our business recognises the responsibility to reflect a true representation of all advertising, promotional activities and product.

Accreditation Costs

As a self-funded industry program, the Retail Dealership Accreditation Program (RDAP) costs have been calculated to maintain accessibility, while ensuring the program’s viability.  The costs are made up of an application fee and an ongoing annual fee as follows:

Application Fee

• $2,400 + GST; OR
• $1,600 + GST if a full state association member OR a contributor to the National Advocacy & Marketing Fund;
• $800 + GST if a full state association member AND a contributor to the National Advocacy & Marketing Fund.

Annual Fee

• $2,400 + GST; OR
• $1,600 + GST if a full state association member OR a contributor to the National Advocacy & Marketing Fund;
• $800 + GST if a full state association member AND a contributor to the National Advocacy & Marketing Fund.

Notes

1. For the purposes of application and annual fees, businesses currently subject to any state association probationary period will not be eligible for the state association pricing discount under RDAP.
2. Being accredited under RDAP does not automatically entitle access to member discounts on space charges at consumer shows, nor does it guarantee show space or preferential treatment when it comes to the allocation of show space.

To learn more about contributing to the National Advocacy and Marketing Fund, click here.

Further Details

For more on the program objectives, assessment of applications, ongoing development, promotion, licensing and use of the logo, program management, ongoing assessments, loss of accreditation and appeals, see the full program details.

View Further Details