Page 1467 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 1 June 2022
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newly registered battery electric and hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicles registered between 24 May this year and 30 June 2024. We also provide an ongoing 20 per cent registration concession for battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric and gas and hydrogen powered vehicles. Canberrans looking to buy a zero emissions vehicle will pay no stamp duty and are also eligible for a zero interest loan of up to $15,000 through our Sustainable Household Scheme to support the purchase. Minister Rattenbury is currently leading the government’s work on our next zero emissions vehicle action plan, and I am excited about some of the further big steps that we are going to be taking in driving the transition through that plan.
But, Madam Speaker, to make meaningful progress towards net zero emissions transport, we need to use every policy lever at governments’ disposal. State and territory governments have shown strong leadership in driving the uptake of low and zero emissions vehicles through incentive schemes, investment in charging infrastructure and road user charging proposals. This same degree of leadership was notably lacking from the now former Morrison government in relation to the policy levers within the commonwealth’s control, including a refusal to implement new emissions standards for new vehicles.
With a change of government, we would like to see a new approach. Australia needs proper vehicle emissions standards that can drive a big cut in pollution produced by our private vehicle fleet, to get more affordable clean vehicles into our market, more quickly.
At the moment the average carbon dioxide emissions intensity for new passenger vehicles sold in Australia is 45 per cent higher than it is in Europe. One key factor behind this is that vehicles sold in Europe must adhere to relatively stringent emissions standards which cap the levels of CO2, particulate matter and other harmful pollutants that can be emitted.
Currently in Australia vehicles imported only need to meet the older Euro 5 standards. This is despite the more stringent Euro 6, or equivalent, emissions standards having been adopted in the United States, Canada, the EU, the United Kingdom, Japan, China, Korea and India. These countries account for over 80 per cent of global new vehicle sales and supply the majority of passenger vehicles sold in Australia.
We are not just slightly behind the curve here; the Euro 6 standards have been in place since 2014 and European countries are actually about to adopt the next, much more stringent, Euro 7 standards. This is something that I intend to raise with the incoming federal government so that we can make meaningful progress on delivering cheaper, cleaner vehicles for Australia, and of course the ACT.
Transport emissions are obviously a big contributor to climate change, but they have other negative impacts too, which I have spoken about before. Pollution from petrol and diesel powered internal combustion engines releases a significant number of pollutants into our air such as nitrous oxides, carbon monoxide and particulate matter. Some of these pollutants have a direct impact on public health. There are estimates that around 5,000 Australian deaths occur annually from air pollution. Air pollution also causes a significant number of other health issues such as ischaemic heart disease,
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