Charisa Bossinakis
In an Australian first, the ACT will become the first jurisdiction to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars from 2035.
Minister for Emissions Reduction Shane Rattenbury said the new regulations would apply to new cars, motorcycles and small trucks.
“Our intent is that from 2035, you will not be able to put new [cars] on the road," he said.
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"But the government does not intend to take your car off the road if you're driving around in an all-petrol vehicle at the start of the year."
However, the ACT government intends to get the ball rolling sooner, ensuring that between 80 to 90 per cent of new light vehicles sold are zero emission models by the end of the decade.
Currently, the state government provides interest loans of up to $15,000 (USD $10,219 or £8,549) to eligible households who want to purchase electric vehicles under the Sustainable Household Scheme.
Rattenbury said that although the details hadn’t been finalised, the ACT government wants to notify drivers of the plan to combat climate change to allow for a smooth ‘transition’ between conventional cars to electric.
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"We're trying to signal where we are going very early so that people have a clear understanding of where the future lies," Rattenbury said.
He added: "We're about setting an early message now, being clear about where things are going and giving people time to organise the transition,” he said.
Rattenbury continued: "The exact legal mechanism is yet to be determined, we'll need to work closely with the federal government and with other states and territories, but our view is that by 2035 you should not be able to put a new petrol vehicle on the road."
While Canberra is the first to implement this plan, other states are expected to follow.
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The Federal government has also announced financial incentives to urge people to go electric.
The Age reports that Anthony Albanese has joined a legal bid to remove Victoria’s eclectic vehicle tax, challenging it in the High Court.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus filed an intervention to the court last week to support two motorists trying to overturn the Victorian EV road user charge.
A spokesperson for the Attorney-General told the outlet: “The Commonwealth Government would like to work with Victoria, and with the other states and territories, on policy relating to electric vehicles.
"We think that is best done through governments working cooperatively.”