Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie has blasted Anthony Albanese’s comments that Australia could manufacture electric vehicles, blaming Australia’s “high-cost energy environment”.
It comes as a 1200 reader poll, conducted as part of this masthead’s Back Australia campaign, found about 55 per cent disagreed when asked whether they believed Australia should be manufacturing electric vehicles. Only 36 per cent agreed. About nine per cent were unsure.
Mr Hastie capitalised on comments made by the international president of Chinese EV giant Chery Zhang Guibing that while the company has contemplated manufacturing in Australia, taxes and labour costs made the idea unfeasible.
“Under Labor we are watching existing Australian industry being destroyed by the government’s net zero obsession,” Mr Hastie said.
“Even electric vehicle companies have conceded that high costs and taxes imposed by this government would make their projects unviable.”
Liberal leader Angus Taylor said it was not possible to “rebuild Australian manufacturing by making it more expensive to produce things here”.
Signalling the Coalition’s push for continuing fossil fuel production, he said the energy stream continued “to drive our economy and our prosperity”.
“Far from a future made in Australia, our future is being made abroad. Australians have been fed the lie that our economy can function on solar, wind, and batteries alone.”
On Monday, Mr Albanese told this masthead that Australia could reboot the car manufacturing industry and “at the very least, we can make parts and components, including batteries here”.
Readers were not convinced that Australian car manufacturers would be able to compete with lower labour costs in China.
“(Australia has) some of the highest labour costs in the world. Layer upon layer of government red tape. Exorbitant fees, taxes and charges on any business in this country,” reader Dazz said.
“Why else do they think so many businesses are shutting up shop and there is no manufacturing in this country?”
Originally published as Liberals attack Labor’s EV dream citing high costs and damning reader poll
