Overview

• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers have pledged to develop a federal road-user charging framework for electric vehicles within this parliamentary term.
• Record battery electric vehicle registrations surged 63% to 29,244 in the June quarter, eroding petrol excise receipts set at 51.6 cents per litre.
• Reports indicate a phased rollout targeting heavy electric vehicles first, with light EVs and hybrids potentially exempted during initial stages.
• Policymakers are weighing distance-based versus mass-based pricing models plus regional concessions to prevent disadvantaged rural and outer-suburban motorists from facing higher costs.
• Victoria’s 2021 state EV charge was struck down by the High Court in 2023 and NSW has budgeted for its own 2027 scheme pending national adoption, underscoring the need for a unified federal approach.