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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-10-17 Daily Xml
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ELECTRIC HOLDENS

The Hon. M. PARNELL (17:00): I move:

That this council—

1. Welcomes the reports that GMH is considering plans to assemble up to 126 electric Holdens in South Australia; and

2. Calls on the state government to back the plan by setting electric car purchasing targets for the SA government fleet.

I do not normally attend functions at motor car dealerships, but I was pleased to attend the launch at Metro Holden last week of the electric Volt produced by General Motors. This is described as a long-range electric vehicle.

At this point, the normal thing to do would be to talk about the length of the extension lead that trails behind the back of the car, but that is probably a joke that is a little too tired for members, so I will just explain that the long-range nature of the GM Volt is because it does have a very small petrol motor that does not power the car but does recharge the battery, if there is not a charging facility nearby.

In some ways it is similar to a hybrid vehicle which has both an electric motor and a petrol motor, but the difference between this and, say, the Toyota Prius or I think the Camry is that the petrol motors in those vehicles actually power the wheels, not just charge the battery. Anyway, I was very pleased to attend the launch and I just note for the record that Kirsten Alexander, the Mayor of the City of Charles Sturt, was there as well.

It was good to rub shoulders with a range of people, including some prospective buyers. Through talking to them, I could discover some of the advantages and the drawbacks of electric vehicles, not the least of which is that you cannot charge them at night rate. You are allowed to heat your water at cheap electricity rates but you are not allowed to charge your electric vehicle, but that is a matter for another day.

The other piece of news that has come through in the last little while that I think is important for South Australia and for the environment is the announcement that General Motors Holden is considering plans to assemble a batch of 126 electric vehicles at its Adelaide plant. This was written up in the Australian Financial Review on 2 October, and this initiative was said to be a coup that could lead to mass production and the export of local technology. I will just read a couple of sentences from the Financial Review article:

The 120 e-Commodores and six left-hand drive e-Caprices are part of a secret $70 million program in the final stages of negotiation between GMH, the federal government and the EV Engineering consortium chaired by former Mitsubishi chief Rob McEniry.

The plan would deliver what is thought to be the biggest run of large electric cars ever made, but also includes potential development of an e-Cruze small car that could be made by GM on a global platform.

It goes on to say:

Just as Ford's future as a manufacturer is looking shaky, GM's electric car trial could give the Commodore a new lease on life with fleets.

I think this is exciting news, because I, for one, have been critical of the domestic car industry for its persistence in producing what I consider to be dinosaur vehicles, vehicles of the 20th century that are inappropriate in the 21st century for the vast bulk of users. There will certainly be occasions when large vehicles are needed, but for the vast bulk of the transport task smaller vehicles, and electric vehicles in particular, are the way to go.

I note that my federal colleague, Adam Bandt, the member for Melbourne, has put out a statement, again on the same day that the Financial Review reported this news, reminding us that we are making the same or fewer numbers of cars now than we did in the 1960s and, if the car industry is to survive in this country, it needs to change. As Mr Bandt says:

The world is moving to electric mobility. The government needs to help the industry to get ahead of the game and shift gears to electric cars.

He concludes his statement with the comment that the government should put in place electric car targets for the government fleet. I have included that call in this motion before the Legislative Council, because I think the government does need to be reminded that, through its procurement policies, it can make important changes to the way industry operates in this state.

I think I have mentioned this in this place before over the years, but certainly Fleet SA has had an interesting approach to the procurement of vehicles for use by public servants, members of parliament, ministers and others. I can remember, on being elected to this place six years ago and being invited to lease a state fleet vehicle, as most members here are, that the range of vehicles was limited to six-cylinder Holdens and six-cylinder Mitsubishi 380s.

The argument, which at first blush sounds reasonable, was that this was a local procurement policy: that we made those vehicles here in South Australia and therefore it made sense for the government to buy them. I say 'at first blush' because that policy in the long run is really not sustainable for two reasons. First of all, it is a policy that would be counterproductive if it was replicated everywhere else. If other states insisted that they were only going to buy motor vehicles that were made in their state then they would not be buying any that were made in South Australia. We are such a small part of the market that we would be the net loser of a policy where every state, in relation to motor vehicles, went for strict local procurement.

The second reason I think that policy was flawed is that it actually locks in unsustainable behaviour. If the car manufacturers continue to make dinosaur cars and if the state government, as one of the biggest purchasers through the state fleet, insists on buying them then there is not a whole lot of incentive for the manufacturers to get into more sustainable motor vehicles, such as smaller cars and electric cars. So, I think that policy was flawed.

I recall raising the matter with the Under Treasurer, Jim Wright, in the very important institution established by this chamber, being the Budget and Finance Committee. I can recall asking the Under Treasurer what the reasons were for members of parliament, for example, to not be able to access, for example, hybrid cars. His answer was, 'No reason at all.' In fact, he reminded the Budget and Finance Committee that the state already had about 250 such vehicles, from memory, and they were being driven by all manner of executives and other public servants. Clearly, state fleet has purchased some hybrid vehicles that use half (or less) the petrol that is used by the standard six-cylinder cars.

I know that the government policy has changed, and certainly the list of vehicles that is available is now much greater than simply the two that were on offer six years ago. At least that is what I thought until I got the last list from state fleet, and it is a list headed 'Fleet SA: Approved Members of Parliament Remuneration Vehicles.' It is the list that applies between May and July of this year. Whilst it is a lengthy list, there are really only three cars on it: Holden Cruze, Holden Calais and Holden Commodore. So they are back to the local procurement policy.

What I think the Fleet SA needs to do and, in fact, I think what the government needs to do is to first of all give some instruction to Fleet SA and remind it that that policy was changed some time ago and it needs to reflect that in this list of vehicles, but also given that we are always told that a whole of government approach is what is driving this administration, the people in the environment section need to be talking to people in the energy section, who need to be talking to Fleet SA so that we do have motor vehicles that are purchased by the government for government purposes that meet modern sustainability standards.

That is going to include hybrid vehicles, and I hope—and that is what this motion calls for—electric vehicles, as well. I think that is the future for companies like Holden in South Australia, getting out of the dinosaurs and getting into electric vehicles. From media reports it looks as if Holden is making a start and I think the government should give them a leg up and should make a commitment to acquiring electric vehicles that are locally made, and I think that will give us the best of both worlds. I urge all members to consider this motion and to give their support.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. G.A. Kandelaars.

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