The Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) says it is “dismayed” by Scott Morrison’s announcement of yet another taxpayer subsidy for oil, while the EV industry remains ignored.
“The Prime Minster last week announced two federal government grants of $125 million will go to Australia’s two oil refineries. The announcement comes off the back a $2.4 billion oil refinery package in May 2021, and a fuel excise cut of around $3 billion,” the EVC said in a statement.
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“Australia is capable of producing abundant clean electricity and that electricity could be powering our trucks and cars. But we have a Prime Minister who’s more interested in subsiding foreign oil and that’s tragic,” EVC chief executive Behyad Jafari said.
“It’s incredible that an Australian Government in 2022 could be spending six billion dollars propping up oil, while not even bothering to construct a competent plan for the electrification of Australia’s fleet.
“Everyone now knows that the future of Australian transport is electric. We should be doing everything possible to rapidly electrify not just consumer vehicles, but trucks and commercial fleets.
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“But instead of moving us toward the future, the Morrison Government is choosing to spend six billion dollars in taxpayer money on propping up the failing oil industry. It’s frankly dismaying for everyone who understands where the world is headed.
“If the EV industry was allocated even a fraction of the money spent on oil subsidies we could be cleaning our city air, lowering our carbon emissions, and breaking our dependence on foreign oil.”
