Janet Rice.
The Australian Coalition government’s decision to delay an electric vehicle strategy until mid-2020 leaves Australia “stalled on the sidelines” of the EV revolution, the Australian Greens say.
“The Morrison government’s delay to the electric vehicle strategy means Australia isn’t even in the slow lane when it comes to electric vehicles, we’re stalled on the sidelines,” Greens transport and infrastructure spokesperson senator Janet Rice says.
“The Labor party isn’t much better, watering down the recommendations in the senate inquiry report,” she says.
“The major parties have no plan, no policies and no incentives to drive electric vehicle uptake.”
Rice says the Greens are “the only party with a real plan to get Australia in the fast lane so that we can reap the rewards that will come from electric vehicles”.
The Greens plan includes setting a target of 100% of new passenger vehicles being electric by 2030, strong vehicle emissions standards; removing import tariffs and other taxes such as GST, stamp duty and registration, and rolling out fast charging infrastructure.
Even the Senate Select Committee on Electric Vehicles report rates little mention in the Coalition’s plans. The committee chaired by Tim Storer provided 17 recommendations to encourage EV uptake and related industries in Australia.
Storer points out that the Coalition government has announced “a plan to develop a plan” while Canada has just said it’s investing A$458 million to accelerate its transition to EVs.
“We need real, substantial action, not lip service, so that benefits can come asap.”
