Overview

• Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government is in no rush to legislate an electric-vehicle road-user charge and will avoid measures that deter uptake.
• Climate Change Authority chair Matt Kean backed a phased approach, pointing to threshold-triggered start dates to limit headwinds for new EV buyers.
• The High Court’s rejection of Victoria’s EV levy has cast doubt on state-based models and elevated the case for a national framework.
• New South Wales is reviewing legal and policy implications for its charge slated for mid-2027 or when EV market share reaches 30 percent.
• Fuel excise currently contributes 51.6 cents per litre to road funding, leaving EVs outside that system as states warn of an emerging budget shortfall.