Liberal Senator Dave Sharma says he is a “little sceptical” about the Albanese government’s fuel efficiency standards.
The federal government revealed it will set minimum standards for manufacturers on fuel consumption and carbon emissions in vehicles they sell in Australia.
There are concerns the target of a 60 per cent emissions reduction in vehicles by 2030 may price popular four-by-fours and Utes out of the market.
“There is a question about whether this policy has got the balance right between reducing emissions on the one hand but still enabling consumers to have choice and keeping vehicles affordable on the other,” Mr Sharma told Sky News Australia.
“We see with Chris Bowen’s track record in other areas of his portfolio, he often plunges headlong into setting targets without thinking too much through the detail of how those are actually going to be met, whether the technology is there, whether the market’s functioning the way that he expects them to.
“I’m a little sceptical about this one but I’ll wait to see the details.”