Zoe McKenzie (Flinders, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. I refer to Labor's new family car and ute tax. In my home state in Victoria in 2023 78 per cent of sales were either SUVs or light commercial vehicles and utes. The top-selling cars were the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux and Isuzu Ute D-Max. Industry analysis shows that they would attract penalties of up to $17,000, $14000 and $13,000 respectively by 2029. Why does this Labor government want to punish Aussie families and tradies for their choices?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call the minister, I want to hear from the member for Goldstein on a point of order.

Zoe Daniel (Goldstein, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Under standing order 100, questions must not contain statements of facts unless they can be authenticated nor contain hypothetical matter. The question is based on a false premise, and we should not be spreading disinformation in this chamber in questions or answers.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Petrie will leave the chamber under 94(a).

The member for Petrie then left the chamber.

I ask all members to show respect when members are taking points of order. That was utterly disrespectful. Whilst I understand the member's point, and she is entitled to raise a point of order, the—

An opposition member interjecting

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, members on my right! I want to hear from—

Opposition members interjecting—

I didn't hear what was said. I'm trying to deal with the member's point of order. There is a lot happening today. I am just going to ask everyone for silence so I can hear from the member for Wannon.

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It would help the House if the member for McEwan withdrew.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask the member to withdraw.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for McEwan. While the member is correct on standing order 100, I can't vouch for everything that is said in every single question or answer. I expect the member for Flinders has done her homework and research, but I am not the judge of whether that research is accurate or not. The minister will be able to respond on whether he believes the member to be correct or not, whether he believes that—

The member for Goldstein on a point of order?

Zoe Daniel (Goldstein, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would merely say facts are facts; they are not a matter of opinion—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Resume your seat.

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I again very much welcome the question and the chance to correct the misinformation being put by those opposite. The member for Flinders would be interested to know that her average constituent drives 18,911 kilometres a year and would save $1,503 in fuel costs if they had access to more efficient cars. The member for Flinders might want to explain to her constituents why she is against more choice for them.

This is the latest example in a long line of misinformation we have had. We have had the continual claims from those opposite about car prices. The analysis released by the minister for transport and I made very clear that in no country that has introduced vehicle efficiency standards have increases in the price of cars resulted from that policy. The member for Bradfield agrees with that. He said it himself on many occasions when he was very eloquently putting the case. This is just the latest example of misinformation.

We saw the Leader of the Opposition last week talking about the current situation—

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You're the master of misleading.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have been very generous with the member for Hume and explained to him in quite a lot of detail about his interjections and being warned. He will leave the chamber under 94(a). This is not how question time will operate. The minister will be heard in silence.

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition said last week on 9 February:

Now, we have some of the highest efficiency standards in the world in terms of our vehicles …

There are a couple of small problems with that statement. You could argue about whether they were the highest or the lowest if they existed, but the fact of the matter is Australia doesn't have any fuel efficiency standards—a point that was made by the member for Bradfield in his op-ed in the Australian when he said:

Eighty per cent of the global vehicle passenger fleet is subject to fuel efficiency standards, but Australia has none.

We've seen other examples. A man who's received a bit of attention in question time today, Senator Canavan—not the most outrageous thing he said, but it's pretty outrageous—said the government of Australia has decided to introduce the world's most aggressive emissions limits on vehicles here in Australia. This is clear misinformation when you consider, I confess to the House, the standards that the minister for transport and me are consulting on proposing are less ambitious than those that exist in Europe, New Zealand and other key markets.

We have carefully designed them to deliver benefits to the Australian people—$140 billion in benefits to all Australians between now and 2050 and $12 billion in fuel savings for motorists by 2030. The average new car buyer in 2028 will cut their annual fuel cost by around a thousand dollars. Health benefits, which is why this policy has been welcomed by the Australian Medical Association as well as the peak motoring groups such as the NRMA, called for by the RACQ and RACW, and welcomed by Hyundai, Volkswagen, BMW, Kia and Volvo, to name a few.

This is what good policy looks like: careful consultation over a 12-month period, taking many submissions and putting Australian motorists first, while those opposite put Australian motorists last—equal with the motorists in Russia, where the Leader of the Opposition wants to align his policies.