Tuesday, 30 April 2024

Electric vehicles

Tim McCURDY (Ovens Valley) (19:13): (617) My adjournment is to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. The action that I seek is support for constituent Colin Dayman. He is trying to get a 2017 electric vehicle registered, and we know how important it is that electric vehicles get a right of passage here in Victoria. He is trying to import this vehicle into Australia, and he has come up against a few barriers, Mr Dayman has. He is trying to get it imported, but he needs a permit from VicRoads to even start that importation process. Mr Dayman says that the exact same car –

Tim Bull interjected.

Tim McCURDY: It should be easier – thank you, member for Gippsland East. Mr Dayman says the exact same car which is not an electric vehicle – it is, in his words, a ‘petrol guzzler’ – is not a problem to get imported.

Tim Bull interjected.

Tim McCURDY: Yes. He is trying to do the right thing and look towards the future, but he is just not getting any support from VicRoads. So he seeks the support to complete the paperwork to allow the car to be imported.

As I said before, electric vehicles are extremely important as we move forward. That same vehicle, if it was not electric, would be done no problem at all. Hands down, it would be straightforward.

Juliana Addison: Tim, what type of car is it?

Tim McCURDY: It is a vehicle. It is a four-wheel car. It is a four-wheel drive. He has spoken to two different VicRoads advisers, and two different VicRoads advisers. The first one’s response was saying it can be done.

Roma Britnell interjected.

Tim McCURDY: That is the question he asks: why is it so complicated? The second one said the car is noncompliant. This noncompliant car –

Tim Bull interjected.

Tim McCURDY: VicRoads would not tell him under what basis. This noncompliant car – he cannot get the paperwork. He cannot get the answers. It is really important that he tries to get this to make it move forward. He is getting mixed messages from VicRoads. I sincerely hope that the minister for roads can help to get that paperwork moving, because if he gets that paperwork moving, then he can start the process to get the importation done, and then all of a sudden he can get it through. So I seek that support from the minister for roads.