Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton and Nationals Senator for Victoria Bridget McKenzie visited Kilmore Toyota on Monday, February 19, criticising the Federal Government’s proposed New Vehicle Efficiency Standard.
The New Vehicle Efficiency Standard incentivises car companies to supply new cars that use less fuel per kilometre.
Under the standard each vehicle manufacturer has a set average CO2 target for the vehicles they produce which they must meet or beat – suppliers can still sell any vehicle type they choose but they’ll need to sell more fuel-efficient models to offset any less efficient models they sell.
The government’s plan is expected to come into effect on January 1, 2025, and will only apply to new passenger and light commercial vehicles.
Federal Member for McEwen Rob Mitchell said families in McEwen could save about $1500 a year on petrol costs with the standard through pushing car markers to give Australian motorists more choices previously only available to buyers in overseas markets.
“This means that a family in Wallan or Kilmore that drives around 18,106kms a year would save around $1439,” he said.
“A standard operates in over 85 per cent of the global car market and while they have been proposed in Australia for years, including by the former government, they’ve never been implemented – and that is costing Australians.”
However, Ms McKenzie said Kilmore and the broader community were ‘going to be smashed between the eyes’ by this standard.
“We’ve got a local member in Rob Mitchell who is clearly asleep at the wheel,” she said.
“[Monday] we have been here at the local dealership looking at the top selling vehicles here in Australia and they’re the top selling because they’re the type of cars that Australians need and love to drive.
“These are the types of cars that are going to be more expensive under Labor’s proposed fuel efficiency standards.
“I think the most concerning thing for rural and regional communities is we need trucks and cars that actually help us do the work we do out here, and that’s not just towing horse floats. It’s towing trailers and heavy gear.
“We know that electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles do not exist in the market to do the type of work we need them to do in places like Kilmore.
“It is absolutely the Labor Party backing inner city votes over the work we need to do out here in the regions and if Rob Mitchell was any sort of local member, he would tell Anthony Albanese that and get him to withdraw [the standard].”
Mr Dutton said the cost-of-living crisis caused by Labor was ‘biting hard’.
“I think it shows how out of touch the Prime Minister is that he’s imposing this huge new tax on new cars at a time when families just can’t afford to pay what they’re facing at the moment every week in their budget,” he said.
“If they want to apply a tax, they need to explain it. Not just drop it out there and then not mention it again and pretend like it’s not happening.”
Mr Dutton said he believed in choice.
“If people want to buy an electric vehicle, that’s fine. But don’t drive up the price of a D-Max or a Ranger to make the electric vehicle look cheaper,” he said.
“The range is not there on many of the vehicles now. If you’re driving late at night on a country road and you see the Toyota Land Cruiser or the D-Max as a more reliable car, if that’s your choice, then we shouldn’t be seeking to tax it.
“Rob Mitchell is supposed to be standing up for locals who can’t afford these new taxes, but they’re just crickets. He’s not said anything and in fact he supports the tax increase proposed by Anthony Albanese.”
However, Mr Mitchell said real-world evidence from other countries with the standard disproved price increases.
“The Liberals came to the same conclusion when they were in government, when they were talking about what we are doing now,” he said.
“The Liberals are running a scare campaign – they should be honest and say why they don’t want Australians to have more choices to spend on less fuel.
“Everyone knows Peter Dutton would not know a dipstick from an exhaust pipe.
“You will still be able to choose the vehicle that is right for you and your family – a petrol or diesel ute, an SUV, sedans, a hybrid or electric vehicle.
“It will be your choice – you will just have more to choose from when it comes to vehicles that use less fuel.
“We are giving Australians more choice of cars that are cleaner and cheaper to run through the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard.
“You can choose the vehicle that is right for you and your family but have more options of vehicles that use less fuel – it’s good for your hip pocket and the environment.”
Mr Mitchell said infrastructure in the region was going to develop to support electric vehicles.
“The government is expanding the rollout of charging infrastructure through the $500 million Driving the Nation Fund and the National EV Charging Network – a truly national network of EV charging infrastructure installed at 117 sites on major highways at an average interval of 150kms,” he said.
