Over 30 federal members of parliament have formed the Parliamentary Friends of Electric Vehicles and Future Fuels Transport in Canberra.
The group will be co-chaired by member for Higgins, Michelle Ananda-Rajah and member for Kooyong, Monique Ryan, who are both “passionate about supercharging the uptake of EVs and helping more Australians get the opportunity to enjoy the benefits they provide”.
According to the group, it plans to hold several events during the parliamentary term to “help ensure Australia’s EV momentum powers ahead”. Furthermore, they intend to provide a non-partisan forum for parliamentarians to meet with experts to discuss promoting greater EV awareness and ways to incentivise their uptake.
“The adoption of electric vehicles in Australia will be a step change in transport that will liberate motorists from the irritation of the nozzle with the added bonus of lower running costs and cleaner air, free from particulates and carcinogens that come from Australian cars burning some of the dirtiest fuel in the world,” said Dr Ananda-Rajah.
Meanwhile, co-chair Monique Ryan echoed this statement saying:
“We need to work together to usher in the cleaner, greener economy, and investing in electric vehicles is a central part of that. I’m thrilled to launch this group and bring more than 30 MPs into the fold as we look to move Australia into the fast lane on electric vehicles.”
Support from the Industry
Several industry bodies were present at the launch of the group and expressed their support for the endeavor.
Electric Vehicle Council Chief Executive Officer Behyad Jafari said “It’s great to see the political momentum building for electric vehicles”.
“Australia has more to gain from transport electrification than any other nation. The millions of vehicles traversing our nation can and should be powered by Australian renewable electricity,” he added.
Meanwhile, Road transport infrastructure provider and toll road operator, Transurban, said it is keen to help drive Australians towards the uptake of electric vehicles.
“If we can help drive the uptake of EVs among our customers, we know it will have a significant impact in reducing emissions across the broader road network” ,” said Transurban CFO, Michelle Jablko.
Electricity supplier Origin also said it supports ongoing efforts to accelerate the switch to EVs by providing opportunities and making it easier for people to get into the driver’s seat of an electric vehicle sooner.
“To make it easier for customers to make the switch to an EV, Origin has developed a full suite of solutions to support EV drivers on every step of their EV journey,” said Origin general manager of e-mobility, Chau Le.
“This includes providing smarter charging and energy solutions, the recently launch EV salary packaging subscription service, and securing ARENA funding to support more business customers to transition to EVs,” she said.
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