Greens make $6.1 billion electric vehicle pitch ahead of election

Kicking off its federal election campaign in today in South Australia, the Greens party has launched a $6.1 billion electric vehicle (EV) investment package to stimulate growth over the next three years.

The Greens are proposing to allocate $1.2 billion to manufacturers of electric vehicles and electric vehicle components in Australia, seeking to relaunch the country’s now dead car industry.

The proposal would also help Australian buy their first EV, cutting costs by up to a generous $15,000 and providing “ulta-cheap” finance for the balance.

The political party is also looking to legislate tough vehicle pollution standards to drive down transport emissions and end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, following a broader global trend.

Finally, the Greens want to put forward $2 billion for publicly owned EV fast charging network as well as electrifying the Commonwealth car fleet by 2025, driving a second-hand EV market.

“We’ll cut pollution, create jobs and be energy independent if we restart [South Australia]’s car industry and make it electric,” Greens leader Adam Bandt said. 

“The Liberals flattened SA’s car industry but the Greens want to recharge it,” he added.

South Australia held its state government elections just over a fortnight ago, in which Labor took power from the Liberal government and the Greens enjoyed a healthy boost to their numbers.

The party is looking to continue its success in the federal election, saying that if its lead South Australian candidate Professor Barbara Pocock were elected the party would be on track to be the biggest third party in the Senate ever, potentially holding a balance of power.