David Van (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Senator Watt. With the government passing the new vehicle efficiency standard recently, I applaud its ambition to reduce emissions. However, according to industry, there is an unintended consequence that will result in fewer complying vehicles, not due to an unwillingness of the industry but due to the lengthy approval process that new vehicles must undergo to be registered on Australian roads. While I appreciate that the process ensures vehicles meet safety and environmental standards, it has proven to be too lengthy and cumbersome to support the ambitions of NVES. Will the government reassess the vehicle approval standards and processes so that the ambition of the new vehicle efficiency standards can be met when vehicles are purchased by Australian consumers?