Page 2396 - Week 08 - Thursday, 5 August 2021
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
and provides five recommendations to improve and accelerate the ACT’s transition to a zero-emissions transport sector.
I take this opportunity to outline our achievements, detail the recommendations and highlight the work that government is undertaking to address them. When it comes to the achievements for the government fleet, since 2018 we have made great progress in transitioning our government passenger vehicle fleet to zero-emissions vehicles. We now have one of the largest passenger zero-emissions vehicle fleets in Australia, with 165 vehicles, which is 28 per cent of our total fleet of 597 vehicles. To power these cars we have 108 charging stations at government sites and we are also now looking at how to shift to zero-emissions heavy vehicles, including emergency vehicles and waste collection trucks.
When it comes to incentives, we have among the most generous incentives for zero-emissions vehicles in Australia. We have introduced two years free registration, as well as continuing the stamp duty exemption for zero-emissions vehicles. We will soon introduce zero-interest $15,000 loans for zero-emissions vehicle purchases through phase 2 of the Sustainable Household Scheme. We now have over 1,200 battery-electric vehicles registered in the ACT, a 25 per cent increase since the free registration came into effect just a few months ago, on 24 May. It is great to see so many Canberrans embracing the electric vehicle future.
With regard to charging stations, we allocated $2.7 million to install 50 public charging stations across Canberra. Work is underway to develop a public charging master plan to support a strategic rollout of charging infrastructure. This will inform the location of the 50 publicly accessible charging stations, as well as future locations for public charging stations.
The recommendations of the audit report provide useful strategic input to help us build on these successes to improve and continue to lead. The government has agreed to all the recommendations and work is underway to implement measures in response.
In regard to recommendation 1, firstly, the audit report recommends that program design and delivery be improved by reviewing the program logic for each action, defining the expectations of future uptake of zero-emissions vehicles, and ensuring good monitoring and evaluation of progress.
The government is currently reviewing the program logic and outcomes of our actions, to date. The results of this review will be integrated into my annual report under the Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act 2010, which I will provide to the Assembly at the end of this calendar year.
The second recommendation in the audit report highlights the importance of cross-agency collaboration and recommends strengthening processes around securing senior management authorisation, maintaining version control and sharing plans with relevant stakeholders. With the creation of the Office for Climate Action, we now have a high-level, agreed whole-of-government coordinating mechanism to support the effective implementation of a range of activities, including uptake of zero-emissions vehicles. These processes include cross-directorate working groups, as well
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video