National Roads and Motorists' Association
| Motto | Keeping people moving |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1920 |
| Type | Mutual |
| Headquarters | Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales |
| Location | |
|
Membership
|
2.4 million members |
|
Key people
|
Kyle Loades, President Wendy Machin, Deputy President Rohan Lund, Group CEO |
| Website | www.mynrma.com.au |
NRMA refers to two historically related Australian companies:
The National Roads and Motorists' Association, known as NRMA, is a member-owned mutual organisation offering roadside assistance, motoring advice, car servicing, International Driving Permits, travel and other services in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
NRMA Insurance is a brand and operating unit of Insurance Australia Group, a national insurance and financial services company. NRMA Insurance and NRMA are independent companies and are both in agreement to use the same brand and name. Both companies are responsible for distinguishing the difference between the two organisations.
The Australian National Roads Association, which would become the NRMA, was launched in 1920. Its original aim was not to provide road service or insurance, but to obtain "reasonable and just legislation" to fund and improve roads.
At this time the planning and financing of main roads, in particular, had fallen into chaos following the defeat of the Main Roads Bill in 1911. Subsequent attempts to create a board to oversee main roads and distribute funding had also failed. The 1919 Local Government Act left all decisions to local councils, where decisions were made "from the point of view of local utility". Through-routes and main roads were assigned a low priority.
The Royal Automobile Club of Australia (RACA) had been campaigning for better roads since its creation. The Club had initiated a Good Roads Association in 1912, and its work was supported by the newspapers, notably the Sydney Morning Herald.
The National Roads Association was to be a broader and stronger pressure group seeking the same ends, and it received full support from RACA. When the Association was formally established on 4 February 1920, its provisional committee included RACA President, WJ McKinney, and RACA's Roads and Tours committee chairman, DM Cooper. There was also AR Bluett, secretary of the Local Government Association, who had held office with Cooper in the Goods Roads Association.
John Christian Watson (Australia's third Prime Minister in 1904), became NRMA President in 1920 until his death in 1941. The NRA restructured as the National Roads and Motorists' Association at the beginning of 1924. The aims of the NRMA were to "cover everything necessary for the advancement and protection of motorists in all circumstances", a goal strikingly similar to that of RACA. This positioned the NRMA as a competitor as much as collaborator, particularly when it began to employ its own road service "guides". These returned servicemen "of exemplary character" patrolled specific areas, including the popular beaches of Coogee, Bondi Beach and Bronte, or were based at congested spots on the roads out of the city where they could receive messages by phone or relayed by other motorists.
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Wikipedia