FEDERAL Member for Nicholls, Sam Birrell MP, has voiced strong opposition against the Albanese Government’s proposed family car and ute tax, describing it as nonsensical and detrimental to families, tradies, and farmers. The tax, part of the government’s fuel emissions standards, could see Australia’s best-selling utes facing a carbon penalty of up to $17,950 by 2029.
In Parliament, Birrell questioned Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, about the LDV electric ute’s maximum range. “The LDV electric ute has a maximum range of 300 kilometres, but fully loaded up, travels just 150 kilometres,” Birrell pointed out. He noted that Minister Bowen responded by quoting an out-of-date article to highlight the electric LDV ET60 ute’s affordability in New Zealand, a country that has since scrapped its ‘ute tax’.
Birrell supports electric vehicle uptake where appropriate but warns against penalising those for whom electric vehicles are not viable due to their work requirements or location. “Thousands of people in my electorate need these vehicles to perform their work and they will be forced to pay a high price to replace their vehicle simply because there is no viable alternative,” he said.
