From 24m agoKey events24m agoMan arrested in relation to disappearance of Samantha Murphy1h agoSoldier injured during parachute training exercise2h agoVirgin Australia announces plan for pets in cabin flights3h agoBankwest closing all branches and going digital3h agoSome Closing the Gap indicators getting worse, new data shows3h agoWelcomeFilters BETAKey events (6)Jim Chalmers (5)Australia (4)Jacinta Allan (3)Katy Gallagher (3)19s ago17.58 EST
Reports this morning suggest that half of Australia’s car brands will not comply with the government’s new vehicle emissions standard in the first year.
Under the standard, car companies must reduce the average emissions from their fleet of new cars each year until it reaches zero. This would require companies to import more efficient models.
The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries has criticized the standard, claiming that the cost of the most popular utes and SUVs could increase by as much as $13,000.
However, the scheme allows companies to offset pollution by selling an EV that emits nothing, providing flexibility as emissions from new cars are reduced over time.
The premise that half of Australia’s car brands would not be compliant is based on the car fleet remaining unchanged. The law exists to change the mix in the car fleet.
Climate and energy minister Chris Bowen is set to urge an industry audience to get behind the new standards today at the Smart Energy Conference.
Head of advocacy at the Climate Council, Dr Jennifer Rayner, said the fact the standard incentivises car brands to change its fleet in coming years “is a feature, not a bug, of this policy”.
Delaying or watering down the scheme would mean more climate pollution pumped into our air, and more dollars drained from Australians at the bowser. Car brands are asking for more time to keep doing harm with their high-polluting cars, but we can’t afford to wait.
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Superannuation on paid parental leave ‘a significant win for all workers’, says ASU
The Australian Services Union (ASU) has welcomed the government’s announcement it will pay superannuation on paid parental leave.
This follows a seven-year campaign from the ASU, kickstarted with the 2017 “Not so super for women” report. The campaign was led by the late Victorian senator Linda White, who spent a decade as assistant national secretary of the ASU before going to…
2024-03-06 17:42:12
Original from www.theguardian.com