Claire Chandler (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise to address the potential impact of the government's proposed New Vehicle Efficiency Standard on both new car dealers and consumers. Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to meet with representatives from new car dealer groups in Tasmania, who expressed a shared concern that the proposed legislation will have serious impacts on consumers and local businesses by driving up the cost of new vehicles.

There is a wide range of valid concerns associated with this proposal. It will push up the price of a new vehicle, hitting families already dealing with the skyrocketing cost of living. It's anticipated that new car sales may decrease, also leading to price hikes for popular second-hand vehicles like utes and trucks. While consumers may be inclined to purchase low-emission vehicles, governments should not be forcing Australians to buy electric cars which may not meet their specific needs, budget constraints, safety requirements or cost effectiveness. This government is unable to even guarantee that these vehicles will be available in Australia in sufficient numbers.

As the US government has found, there is no way that production of electric vehicles will be able to meet the demand that their government is trying to create by making other vehicles more expensive. The Labor government's plan will put all of us at the mercy of Chinese production of electric vehicles, just at the Albanese government seems intent on putting our energy security at the mercy of Chinese-made solar panels and wind turbines.

The Albanese government have to stop making everything more expensive for Australian families just so they can pursue their own ideological agenda. They need to stop trying to ram through bad ideas and go back to the drawing board, consult properly and come up with a plan that doesn't punish families, tradies and local businesses.