Deputy Speaker,

The Albanese Labor Government went to the May elections committed to our Powering Australia plan.

Labor’s plan will help deliver our emissions targets of 43 per cent by 2030 and net zero by 2050.

Our plan will create jobs by cutting power bills and reducing emissions by boosting renewable energy.

The Government will close the yawning gap between our current Federal Government and our business community, agricultural sector and state governments when it comes to investing in the renewables that will power our future. 

Our plan will create 604,000 jobs, with 5 out of 6 new jobs to be created in the regions.

It will spur $76 billion of investment.

And will cut power bills for families and businesses by $275 a year for homes by 2025. 

The Government’s Electric Car Discount, which removed import duties on electric and low emission cars, was one part of this plan.

The Electric Car discount will reduce the upfront and ownership cost of electric vehicles, addressing a significant barrier to their uptake.

This Government is committed to reducing transport emissions and is making electric cars more affordable for the families and businesses that want them.

That’s why the Government is tabling this Bill, fulfilling Labor’s election commitment of providing a fringe benefits tax exemption (an electric car discount) for eligible electric cars that are provided by employers.

Currently, the fringe benefits tax is payable when an employer makes a car, including an electric car, available for the private use of an employee.

The amendments in this Bill exempts from the fringe benefits the use of eligible electric cars made available to employees or those who take up a salary sacrifice arrangement.

This exemption will apply to battery electric cars, hydrogen fuel cell electric cars and plug-in hybrid electric cars below the luxury car tax threshold for fuel efficient cars of $84,916, for all vehicles made available for use after 1 July 2022.

And I welcome these changes, which will ensure that employers providing employees with an eligible electric car will not pay the fringe benefits.

This is an important measure that will help increase the uptake of electric cars in Australia.

These policies are urgent not only because they are fair to future generations whose lives will be severely impacted by how we respond to climate change in coming years.

They are also urgent policies that will help Australians who are facing such strong cost of living pressures at the cash register, in their bills, and at the pump today.

Skyrocketing fuel prices are even more of a reason to shift to electric vehicles and the Albanese Labor Government is helping with that transition.

All Territorians and local businesses have felt the pain of soaring fuel prices over recent months, as petrol and diesel skyrocketed to over $2 per litre.

And all Territorians have asked themselves why fuel retailers are taking them for mugs, when we’ve been paying 40c or 50c per litre over the wholesale price.

Those in the southern capitals have recently been paying around $1.60 per litre while we were digging deep to pay $1.95 per litre unleaded.

And while thankfully we’ve seen a bit of a reduction in prices over the past week, there’s still a long way to go for fuel to remain affordable for Territory motorists.

Given that fuel companies can buy their fuel for at least 8c per litre below the terminal gate price, and it costs between 12c to 14c per litre to profitably operate a service station, some fuel companies are making huge profits of close to 50c per litre sold at the bowser.

This comes at the expense of Territorians and of all Australians.

And it’s not on.

I’ve been appointed Chair of the House Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport in the federal parliament and I’ll be suggesting that we look into outrageous fuel prices in regional areas.

Distances in Northern Australia and other parts of regional Australia are great.

People need to be able to get around, and businesses need to be able to move to do business.

This is essential if we’re going to keep growing our economy and industry and encouraging interstate and international migration and investment.

We know the Territory is the best place in Australia to live, but keeping it that way means keeping the cost of living manageable.

And that calls on fuel companies to keep their margins reasonable and not hold Territorians hostage.

We need to look at all the tools available to ensure that retailers are giving Territorians a fair price.

One way to reduce motoring costs for households is to facilitate our shift towards renewables.

That’s why the Albanese Labor Government is helping to improve uptake of electric vehicles and improve affordability and choice by growing the Australian electric vehicle market.

Australia is well behind the world when it comes to electric vehicles.

Consumers in the United Kingdom can take their pick of 26 low-emissions vehicles under $60,000.

In Australia we’ve only got eight to choose from.

At 2 per cent, our uptake of new low-emissions vehicles is also nearly five times lower than the global average.

We’re also the only country in the OECD other than Russia to not have fuel efficiency standards.

That’s a requirement on car manufacturers to send Australia a certain number of low- to no-emission vehicles as part of the mix with higher emissions vehicles.

Right now, Australia is a dumping ground for cars which would not be able to be sent to other countries, due to their fuel efficiency standards.

We need to change that, and quickly.

Having fuel efficiency standards will help us get more affordable EVs to market, will reduce household transport costs from inefficient vehicles, and will help us reach Net Zero targets sooner.

The time for cheap politics, for saying EVs will ‘end the weekend’ or take away utes, is over and done with.

Australians want a sensible discussion about how we can get cheaper, better cars.

We're in a cost-of-living crisis.

We know how expensive petrol is.

But if you have an electric vehicle, you never need to lift the nozzle at a petrol station ever again.

And given the prices we’re seeing lately, I think many would agree that that’d be an excellent thing.

Thanks Deputy Speaker.