The Victorian Greens have welcomed the Victorian Labor Government’s overdue response to a parliamentary inquiry into renewable energy, originally due by September 2022, but are disappointed the Labor Government continues to oppose or resist measures to transition to Electric Vehicles and get off gas in Victoria.
For instance, the Labor Government recently scrapped the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) subsidy program, which goes against a key recommendation of the inquiry, which called for the subsidy to continue until EVs achieve price parity with internal combustion engine vehicles.
Similarly, while Victoria is the state with the heaviest reliance on gas to heat our homes and hot water, the Gas Substitution Roadmap fell well short of expectations and the report shows clearly not enough is being done to transition Victorian homes away from gas.
Deputy Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell, said while the Government had made a number of important investments in renewable energy, its investments were being undermined by weak policy decisions around gas and transport.
She added that the inquiry needed to be a turning point, and urged the Government to end the state’s reliance on fossil fuels for good.
The Greens have previously called on the Government to ban gas connections in new homes, to provide subsidies for renters and low-income homes to move away from gas, and reverse their decision to delay the introduction of 7-star standards for new homes and insulation for rental properties.
The Greens are also calling on the Labor Government to cancel their support for a new coal-to-hydrogen project which is on the cards, and which the Treasurer travelled to Japan to lend support to.
As stated by Deputy Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell MP:
“This inquiry clearly showed that Labor in Victoria is falling well behind on what’s needed to transition away from gas in Victoria, and is actively thwarting the transition to electric vehicles by putting a tax on electric cars and getting rid of electric car subsidies.
“The rest of the world is encouraging electric vehicles, it’s completely ridiculous that here in Victoria we are taxing electric cars instead!”
“To accelerate a transition to 100% renewable energy, Labor in Victoria needs to urgently support people to get gas out of their homes, get rid of the tax on electric cars, and stop supporting new coal and gas projects.”
