This bill became law on May 31st, 2024.
Climate, energy & environment
The Act lets the Clean Energy RegulatorThe government body that will help run the credits registry for the new vehicle standard. help run the new vehicle-efficiency credits registry, using its experience with similar government registries.
Australia had no legal fuel-efficiency standard, leaving buyers with dirtier cars and fewer low-emissions vehicles, and the new NVESThe new national rule that sets fuel and emissions targets for certain new vehicles sold in Australia. needed workable registry and enforcement arrangements. This bill lets the Clean Energy RegulatorThe government body that will help run the credits registry for the new vehicle standard. help run the credits registry, expands inspector powers, and gives courts extra compliance orders.
Australia already regulated vehicle supply through the Road Vehicle Standards Act and had a voluntary industry fuel-efficiency scheme, but it still had no binding national standard, leaving Australians with higher-emitting cars, weaker access to low and zero emissions models and a harder path to the emissions targets set in the Climate Change Act 2022The law that sets Australia's emissions targets and provides the wider policy pressure behind the vehicle standard.. The New Vehicle Efficiency StandardThe new national rule that sets fuel and emissions targets for certain new vehicles sold in Australia. package responded by creating a mandatory scheme and, through this consequential bill, linking it to the existing road-vehicle system so the Clean Energy RegulatorThe government body that will help run the credits registry for the new vehicle standard., inspectors and courts could run, enforce and backstop the new credits regime once Parliament passed it in 2024.
No significant public case against this consequential amendments bill is recorded so far, beyond the fact that opposition amendments to the wider vehicle-efficiency package were proposed and defeated in the Senate. publicly available sources does not show a developed critique of this bill itself, and no party represented in the debate is recorded here as opposing it.
Catherine King MP introduced this bill. In the House final vote, support came from Labor, Greens, some crossbench members; opposition came from Liberal Party, Nationals, Centre Alliance, some crossbench members.
Did it become law?
Yes
Became law 31 May 2024
Final passage
Recorded final vote
3 counted final-passage votes were recorded.
Passage speed
65 days
From introduction to the latest recorded parliamentary step
Meaning
The Act lets the Clean Energy RegulatorThe government body that will help run the credits registry for the new vehicle standard. help run the new vehicle-efficiency credits registry, using its experience with similar government registries.
Road vehicle inspectors can now gather evidence of new vehicle-efficiency registry breaches while carrying out Road Vehicle Standards Act monitoring, which strengthens enforcement across both laws.
Road vehicle inspectors can also seize evidence of suspected new vehicle-efficiency registry offences when they are using Road Vehicle Standards Act investigation powers.
Courts can now make non-punitive orders for Road Vehicle Standards Act breaches, such as compliance steps or ordered notices, instead of relying only on penalties.
The consequential amendments support the role of the Clean Energy Regulator in clause ^52 of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard Bill 2024 to potentially provide assistance to the Secretary to perform their functions and exercise their powers in relation to the establishment and maintenance of the Registry if requested.New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (Consequential Amendments) explanatory memorandum
Item 3 adds paragraph (c) into subsection 50(3) in the RVSA. Subsection 50(3) lists the provisions related to the provisions mentioned in subsection 50(1) and the information mentioned in subsection 50(2) for the purposes of Part 2 of the Regulatory Powers Act. Item 3 adds a provision of Division 4 of Part 4 of the NVES Act as new paragraph (c). The provisions in Division 4 of Part 4 of the NVES Act have been identified as related provisions as they provide for offences and civil penalties in relation to the Registry established under the NVES Act. Registry account holders under the NVES Act are the same entities that hold approvals under the RVSA. Additionally, it is expected that an authorised person may exercise powers under the NVES Act and the RVSA, as clause 71 of the NVES Bill provides that an inspector appointed under section 49 of the RVSA may be appointed as inspector under the NVES Act. The provisions in Division 4 of Part 4 of the NVES Act have therefore been identified as related provisions so that authorised persons who enter premises to exercise monitoring powers under the RVSA may secure evidence of a contravention of a provision in Division 4 of Part 4 of the NVES Act (in accordance with the Regulatory Powers Act).New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (Consequential Amendments) explanatory memorandum
Item 4 adds paragraph (c) into subsection 52(2) in the RVSA. Subsection 52(2) lists the provisions related to evidential material that relates to a provision mentioned in subsection 52(1) for the purposed of Part 3 of the Regulatory Powers Act. Item 4 adds a provision of Division 4 of Part 4 of the NVES Act as new paragraph (c). The provisions in Division 4 of Part 4 of the NVES Act have been identified as related provisions for the same reasons identified in relation to Item 3. This provision allows an authorised person who enters onto premises to exercise investigation powers under the RVSA to also seize evidence of the contravention of a provision of Division 4 of Part 4 of the NVES Act (in accordance with the Regulatory Powers Act).New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (Consequential Amendments) explanatory memorandum
Items 5 and 6 insert new Division 5A into the RVSA. New section 58A allows a relevant court, on application of the Secretary, to make a non-punitive order, where a person has engaged in conduct that contravenes a provision of Part 2 of the RVSA.New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (Consequential Amendments) explanatory memorandum
Context
Australia already regulated vehicle supply through the Road Vehicle Standards Act and had a voluntary industry fuel-efficiency scheme, but it still had no binding national standard, leaving Australians with higher-emitting cars, weaker access to low and zero emissions models and a harder path to the emissions targets set in the Climate Change Act 2022The law that sets Australia's emissions targets and provides the wider policy pressure behind the vehicle standard.. The New Vehicle Efficiency StandardThe new national rule that sets fuel and emissions targets for certain new vehicles sold in Australia. package responded by creating a mandatory scheme and, through this consequential bill, linking it to the existing road-vehicle system so the Clean Energy RegulatorThe government body that will help run the credits registry for the new vehicle standard., inspectors and courts could run, enforce and backstop the new credits regime once Parliament passed it in 2024.
Road Vehicle Standards Act creates the existing vehicle approval system
The Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018The existing law that already regulates vehicle approvals and is being used as the enforcement base for the new scheme. established the Register of Approved VehiclesThe public vehicle register where key details about approved vehicles are recorded, including emissions information used for enforcement. and the regulatory machinery that the later NVESThe new national rule that sets fuel and emissions targets for certain new vehicles sold in Australia. package was designed to use rather than replace.
New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (Consequential Amendments) explanatory memorandum ↗Climate Change Act locks in national emissions targets
The Climate Change Act 2022The law that sets Australia's emissions targets and provides the wider policy pressure behind the vehicle standard. put Australia’s 2030 and 2050 emissions targets into law, increasing pressure to cut transport emissions from light vehicles.
Australian Parliament House ↗Government moves to add enforcement and registry powers for the new vehicle standard
The government introduced this bill alongside the main NVESThe new national rule that sets fuel and emissions targets for certain new vehicles sold in Australia. legislation after arguing Australia had no legal fuel-efficiency standard and consumers were missing out on cleaner, cheaper-to-run vehicles common in other major markets.
Hansard ↗Parliament passes the bill
Both houses passed the consequential bill, clearing the way for the Clean Energy RegulatorThe government body that will help run the credits registry for the new vehicle standard., road vehicle inspectors and courts to support the NVESThe new national rule that sets fuel and emissions targets for certain new vehicles sold in Australia. compliance system.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Royal AssentThe final step that turns the bill into an Act of Parliament. makes the consequential changes law
Royal AssentThe final step that turns the bill into an Act of Parliament. turned the bill into law so the new vehicle efficiency scheme could operate through the existing road vehicle framework with added registry and enforcement tools.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Legislative route
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
Recorded vote: 90 to 56.
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Second reading agreed to
Recorded vote: 90 to 58.
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Third reading agreed to
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
Recorded vote: 34 to 26.
The Senate agreed to the remaining stages and passed the bill in a counted vote under the compressed procedure recorded for that sitting.
Third reading agreed to
Both houses passed the bill in the same form, completing parliamentary passage.
Finally passed both Houses
The Governor-General gave Royal AssentThe final step that turns the bill into an Act of Parliament., turning the bill into an Act.
Key criticism
No significant public case against this consequential amendments bill is recorded so far, beyond the fact that opposition amendments to the wider vehicle-efficiency package were proposed and defeated in the Senate. publicly available sources does not show a developed critique of this bill itself, and no party represented in the debate is recorded here as opposing it.
Any criticism recorded so far appears limited and not clearly directed at this bill's own machinery changes.
Votes
The chamber-passage votes come first. Expand a vote to see the party breakdown.
Passed 90 to 58. Support came from Labor and Greens. Opposition came from Liberal Party, Nationals, and Centre Alliance. Minor-party and independent votes were split.
Passed 89 to 56. Support came from Labor and Greens. Opposition came from Liberal Party and Nationals. Minor-party and independent votes were split.
Passed 34 to 26. Support came from Labor, Greens, and minor parties and independents. Opposition came from Liberal Party, Nationals, One Nation, and UAP. Minor-party and independent votes were split.
Earlier bill-stage votes
Passed 90 to 56. Support came from Labor and Greens. Opposition came from Liberal Party and Nationals. Minor-party and independent votes were split.
Passed 34 to 27. Support came from Labor, Greens, and minor parties and independents. Opposition came from Liberal Party, Nationals, One Nation, and UAP. Minor-party and independent votes were split.
Recorded amendment and procedural votes grouped by chamber. Expand a vote to see the party breakdown.
House
Passed 81 to 66. Support came from Labor and Greens. Opposition came from Liberal Party, Nationals, Centre Alliance, and minor parties and independents. Minor-party and independent votes were split.
This was a timetable motion. It let the House move straight to the third reading stage instead of waiting.
Passed 81 to 67. Support came from Labor and Greens. Opposition came from Liberal Party, Nationals, Centre Alliance, and minor parties and independents. Minor-party and independent votes were split.
This was a closure motion. It forced an immediate vote rather than letting debate continue.
Passed 82 to 66. Support came from Labor and Greens. Opposition came from Liberal Party, Nationals, and Centre Alliance. Minor-party and independent votes were split.
This was a closure motion at second reading. It stopped further debate on whether the bill should be read a second time.
Passed 81 to 64. Support came from Labor and Greens. Opposition came from Liberal Party and Nationals. Minor-party and independent votes were split.
This was another timetable motion. It removed delay and let the House move directly to the final stage.
Passed 74 to 63. Support came from Labor. Opposition came from Liberal Party, Nationals, Centre Alliance, Katter's Australian Party, and minor parties and independents. Minor-party and independent votes were split.
This was a closure motion on the referral-to-committee proposal.
Defeated 56 to 80. Support came from Liberal Party, Nationals, Centre Alliance, and Katter's Australian Party. Opposition came from Labor. Minor-party and independent votes were split.
The referral proposal was rejected, so the House did not send the bill to committee on that motion.
Senate
Passed 34 to 27. Support came from Labor, Greens, and minor parties and independents. Opposition came from Liberal Party, Nationals, One Nation, and UAP. Minor-party and independent votes were split.
A committee-stage vote that kept the companion bill’s compliance and enforcement machinery in place.
Defeated 27 to 34. Support came from Liberal Party, Nationals, One Nation, and UAP. Opposition came from Labor, Greens, and minor parties and independents. Minor-party and independent votes were split.
A committee-stage amendment vote. The Senate rejected changes that would have delayed and softened parts of the vehicle-efficiency scheme.
Defeated 27 to 34. Support came from Liberal Party, Nationals, One Nation, and UAP. Opposition came from Labor, Greens, and minor parties and independents. Minor-party and independent votes were split.
The proposed changes did not pass, so the bill continued without the opposition amendment package.
This list includes amendment votes, procedural votes and votes on the bill itself.
Parliamentary debate
Start here — lead voices
Ms Catherine King supports the bill, saying it makes the consequential amendments needed to start the new vehicle efficiency standardThe new national rule that sets fuel and emissions targets for certain new vehicles sold in Australia. and to help the Clean Energy RegulatorThe government body that will help run the credits registry for the new vehicle standard. and the department run the new registry effectively.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
1 speaker · 1 support
“The bill also amends the Clean Energy Regulator Act 2011 to enable the Clean Energy Regulator to assist the Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts in establishing and maintaining the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard Unit Registry. The Clean Energy Regulator administers similar unit registries for the Australian government, and their assistance will help to ensure the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard Unit Registry is established and maintained effectively. I commend the bill to the House.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
House · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
House · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
House · Second reading agreed to
Recorded vote: 90 to 56.
Second reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
House · Third reading agreed to
Recorded vote: 90 to 58.
Third reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Senate · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Senate · Third reading agreed to
Recorded vote: 34 to 26.
Final stages agreed
The Senate agreed to the remaining stages and passed the bill in a counted vote under the compressed procedure recorded for that sitting.
Parliament · Finally passed both Houses
Passed both houses
Both houses passed the bill in the same form, completing parliamentary passage.
Assent · Assent
Assent
The Governor-General gave Royal AssentThe final step that turns the bill into an Act of Parliament., turning the bill into an Act.
