Kylea Tink (North Sydney, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

TINK () (): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. In April this year you issued a media release saying that your government would announce its proposed fuel efficiency standards by the end of the year. When I asked about the exact time line for the standards in May this year, Minister Bowen said that you and he had opened a consultation process and that it would take six weeks to get the details right. That was more than six months ago. Today Greenpeace released figures showing that Australian motorists would have saved $10.1 billion in avoided petrol costs if a fuel efficiency standard had been introduced in 2016. Minister, when will the proposed fuel efficiency standards be released?

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much to the member for her question. Of course this government wants Australian households and businesses to reap the benefits of modern, cheaper-to-run, low-emission cars. We know that they will save consumers right across the country, including in regional Australia, money on fuel. Australia is next to Russia as one of the only advanced economies without fuel efficiency standards. Frankly, we have the previous government to thank for that embarrassing legacy. That is why the government is committed to introducing fuel efficiency standards, as we have said previously. We have a real opportunity in this country to save consumers money at the bowser while assisting Australia to reduce its carbon emissions.

We know fuel efficiency standards will incentivise an increase in EV supply while also incentivising vehicle manufacturers to supply more fuel-efficient and cheaper-to-run cars to our market. As we continue to develop the standards—and I welcome the member's question in relation to this—it is important that we work with community and industry to make sure we get this right. We are finalising the details and will have more to say about that in the near future.