Members of the Sydney-based Motorists Action Group (MAG), once one of the major forces in the hopelessly factionalised NRMA before the insurer and road services group were separated, want to start a new insurance company for motorists.

Standing for the NRMA (Motoring and Services) board, MAG President Richard Talbot says it’s “time for members to reclaim control of their NRMA through the democratic process”.

The MAG plans to contest all nine positions on the NRMA Motoring and Services board. Nominations closed on Friday.

Calling for change to remove “a revolving door of appointees” to the board, he says the only people who should occupy seats at the NRMA boardroom table “are members who have been elected as directors in a properly constituted board of directors election, by secret ballot, according to the constitution”.

Five years after the painful demutualisation of the organisation, Mr Talbot and his running mates want to give NRMA members a chance to vote for the establishment of a new mutual insurance company.

“The past couple of years have seen unprecedented membership fee rises, corporate excesses and disputation with the road patrolmen,” he said. “It’s time to restore trust and stability to the NRMA name.”

Mr Talbot said the next step will be to ensure that the road service gets a better deal from NRMA Insurance than simply being forced to pay $30 million a year for services it once received for free or at a greatly subsidised rate.