MELBOURNE, 2 APRIL 2025–Greenpeace Australia Pacific has slammed the Coalition’s promise to neuter the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) by removing fines from the scheme as policy that bends the knee to the petrol car lobby while costing Australians and increasing carbon pollution
“The NVES finally brought Australia onto the same playing field as other major countries, which have strong standards for the efficiency of cars. Sabotaging this policy by removing penalties shunts us to the back of the pack once again,” said Joe Rafalowicz, Head of Climate and Energy, Greenpeace Australia Pacific.
“Removing the thing that makes the NVES an effective policy—penalties for car importers insistent on dumping their most polluting cars in Australia—is a capitulation to the petrol car lobby and overseas companies like Mitsubishi Motors, at the expense of Australian drivers and businesses.
“The NVES will prevent 80 million tonnes of car-related carbon pollution from entering our atmosphere by 2035—as much as the entire state of Victoria emits in a year.
“Emissions from petrol and diesel cars constitute a third of all greenhouse gases in Australia, and the sector is on track to be the top polluter in our economy. There are already low-emissions vehicles for sale around the world that address this challenge.
“Giving foreign car companies a free pass to continue selling polluting cars in Australia, which they cannot sell anywhere else, pushes the burden of reducing emissions onto other Australian industries and businesses.
“This ill-considered policy U-turn, which flies in the face of a mountain of evidence from around the world on the benefits of strong efficiency standards, will also make it harder for Australians to access more affordable, cheaper-to-run electric cars.
“It will keep more polluting cars on our roads for longer, prolonging Australians’ exposure to toxic tailpipe emissions while other countries move quickly towards cleaner, safer cars on their streets.
“Removing fines from the NVES and making it essentially unenforceable is like selling a car without brakes, and simply hoping it will stop when needed. Instead of removing this important enforcement mechanism, it is important to ensure that Australia’s car industry stays the course towards lower emissions, and cleaner, more affordable cars.
“Greenpeace Australia Pacific fought hard to secure this essential legislation, which brought Australia in line with other major economies. We will resist the Coalition’s plans to neuter this legislation every step of the way.”
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For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Vai Shah on 0452 290 082 / vaidehi.shah@greenpeace.org.
