Page 1045 - Week 03 - Thursday, 26 February 2009
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on the basis of emission standards and fuel consumption. No other factors are taken into account and there is certainly no consideration of whole-of-life costs for vehicles. If we are to be fair dinkum about improving the environmental performance of our vehicle fleet, we should be taking the whole-of-life costs of a vehicle into account to establish a more acceptable environmental outcome for each vehicle. According to the advice available to me, this approach would raise some serious questions about some of the hybrid vehicles that have become so popular.
I have not had time to deal in detail with the problems that the ACT motor retailing industry has in dealing with demonstrator vehicles, nor have I had time to explore the important issue of the different duty regimes that now apply in the ACT and in New South Wales, which may have the impact of leading to people buying vehicles in Queanbeyan to avoid this new duty regime in the ACT.
The essence of moving for the disallowance of this duty regime, therefore, is twofold. The regime of duties is flawed and imposes unreasonable taxes on segments of the community; and the environmental benefits from this scheme are questionable. Sadly, the history of the Stanhope-Gallagher government is replete with the introduction of, or of attempting to introduce, flawed taxation policies. This is the latest in a long line of flawed taxation policies.
The best approach that this government could follow is to withdraw the duty regime as it has currently been put in place; undertake effective and comprehensive consultations with industry about the elements of a reasonable duty regime; consult also with those segments of the community which may be adversely affected by a new regime; and put in place a regime that has been properly developed.
I commend the motion to the Assembly.
MS HUNTER (Ginninderra—Parliamentary Convenor, ACT Greens) (10.33): The ACT Greens will be voting to let the instrument pass without disallowance. We have concerns that it does not go far enough, but since 2006, thanks to Deb Foskey and many others, the ACT Greens have been pushing for the Assembly to focus on pollution reduction incentives in relation to motor vehicles, and this measure, we hope, is just the start.
We are starting well behind a number of other countries in incentives to increase low-emission vehicle purchasing. The UK has a vehicle registration scheme based on the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by vehicle per kilometre. Germany and the US also have tax incentive schemes around greener motoring. Motoring in Australia is being transformed slowly, with vehicles coming online aimed at significantly reducing fuel consumption and pollution levels.
In addition to the existing range of vehicles available, Toyota has confirmed it will begin producing a hybrid version of its Camry by 2010, and that follows the announcement by General Motors that a hybrid version of the Commodore will arrive in 2010. Both these versions will use a petrol engine and an electric motor which will deliver expected fuel economy savings of 30 to 40 per cent. Ford will begin producing the Ford Focus locally from 2011 which, combined with a diesel engine, could be the
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