ELECTRIC VEHICLES
381. Hon SOPHIA MOERMOND to the minister representing the
Minister for Environment:
Currently
there is very little pressure on car manufacturers to reduce emissions or
become less reliant on fossil fuels. In the Netherlands, most taxis are
now electric vehicles. This is subsidised by the government with obvious
benefits to emissions targets. I also note that commercial passenger vehicles
are on the road sometimes 24/7.
(1) What action
is the government taking to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles in the
commercial passenger industry?
(2) Will this
government consider creating stricter emissions targets for commercial
passenger vehicles that use fossil fuels to encourage electric vehicle uptake?
(3) To show
leadership in the area, will the government make a commitment to transition 100
per cent of the state government fleet to electric vehicles?
Hon STEPHEN DAWSON
replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. The following answer has been provided to me by
the Minister for Environment; Climate Action.
(1) The McGowan
government announced a package on 10 May 2022 to support electric vehicle
uptake in Western Australia, including $36.5
million of rebates for the purchase of electric vehicles. Light passenger
vehicles and commercial vehicles are
eligible for this rebate. The government is also providing $10 million to support small and medium-sized businesses and
not-for-profits with grants of up to 50 per cent to support the
installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
(2) The
responsibility for setting vehicle emission standards sits with the
commonwealth government. The Western Australian government has long advocated
for the commonwealth government to introduce vehicle emission standards,
including for carbon dioxide, for vehicles in Australia in line with other Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development—OECD—countries. This would have significant
benefits for air quality and human health as well as greenhouse gases.
(3) Under the state electric vehicle strategy for Western
Australia, the McGowan government has already set a target of at least
25 per cent for electric vehicles within eligible segments of the government
fleet by 2025–26. Through the Western Australian climate policy and the
development of sectoral emissions reduction
strategies, we are considering further goals to reduce emissions from transport
and for government to lead the way as we look to transition towards net
zero emissions.