The Climate Council is calling for data collected through the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard on manufacturers' vehicle imports to be published by the government, delivering real transparency on how automakers are meeting the scheme's new pollution caps.
Right now, the only way to find out the types of vehicles that car manufacturers are bringing to Australia is to pay the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries thousands of dollars for access to its VFACTS database. With this industry group having fanatically opposed the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, these foxes cannot continue guarding the henhouse when the standard comes into effect.
Climate Council Head of Policy and Advocacy, Dr Jennifer Rayner, said: "We want manufacturers to do the right thing and bring in a better range of low and zero emissions cars for Aussies to buy. So we need to know if they keep selling their same old gas guzzlers that are fueling the climate crisis and driving up petrol bills.
"The only way for Aussies to keep an eye on what happens with the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard is for the government to publicly release the data it will be collecting through the scheme. We can't rely on the industry peak body to be upfront and transparent when they threw everything they had into stopping the standard going ahead in the first place.
"The Federal Government will be collecting high-quality data on what cars manufacturers are bringing to Australia and how much pollution every one of them produces. The legislation governing this scheme must ensure this information is reported and released publicly.
"Making auto manufacturers accountable from day one is the best way to ensure the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard accelerates Australia down the road to cleaner air, cheaper bills and a safer climate."
