Commitment to reducing transport emissions highlighted at APEC meeting

Today I am travelling to the 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Transportation Ministerial Meeting where I will highlight the Albanese Government’s commitments towards a cleaner, more inclusive and better-connected transport future.

This commitment has been strengthened in the 2023-24 Federal Budget which has funded development of a comprehensive Transport and Infrastructure Net Zero Roadmap and Action Plan to reduce emissions across this sector of the economy. 

The Government will invest $8.4 million to fund a strategy that covers all forms of transport, alternative fuels, new technology and the infrastructure to support the transition to net zero. This will include hard to abate sectors, such as heavy vehicles, rail, freight, maritime and aviation.

This integrated transport and infrastructure decarbonisation roadmap will be developed in a planned and coordinated way to ensure we can take up opportunities, while carefully managing the transition to new energy sources.

I look forward to sharing Australia’s commitments, progress and insights at the first APEC transportation meeting since 2017, while learning from the experiences of the other 20 countries being represented at the Michigan event.

The investment will help Australians secure long lasting benefits from the renewable energy transformation, while managing and minimising the impacts of the transition. The Roadmap will also deliver the most emissions abatement for each dollar spent.

Transport emissions are currently on track to be the largest source of CO₂ emissions in Australia by 2030.

This work will deliver the policy certainty required to plan for emissions reductions and help ensure Australia achieves our reduction targets.

This Government is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 43 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

Achieving our economy-wide targets will require concerted action to drive emissions lower, including across the transport sector. This includes pathways to progress heavy vehicle, rail and maritime decarbonisation in cooperation with industry, states and territories.

The Roadmap and Action Plan will complement the recently announced consultation process to implement a Fuel Efficiency Standard for light vehicles and the introduction of Euro VI noxious emissions standards for new trucks and buses.

This investment includes the development of a Maritime Emissions Reduction National Action Plan, to be co-designed with industry to set out a pathway for Australia to become an international leader in green shipping. This will secure our future as a global supplier of renewable zero emissions energy and provider of sustainable maritime fuels.

This work builds on the practical action the Government is taking to reduce transport emissions, including investing $125 million toward electric bus charging infrastructure in Perth to facilitate the transition of Transperth’s buses from diesel to electric, establishing the country’s first ever Jet Zero Council, and the launch of the National Electric Vehicle Strategy with the first ever commitment by an Australian Government to introducing Fuel Efficiency Standards.

By delivering the evidence and leadership required to accelerate decarbonisation across the infrastructure and transport sectors, the plan will advance the Government’s commitment to meeting its emissions targets.

The Government will work with other governments, industry and communities to make the most of opportunities provided by public and private sector investment to support secure long-term jobs in the regions and ensure the costs and benefits of the transition to net zero are shared.

Climate action, inclusivity and gender, as well as supply chain and connectivity are the agenda items for the meeting – all of which are priorities for our Government as we work to secure a stronger transport future to underpin prosperity for Australia.

The Government will also continue to engage with international partners, to learn from best-practice transport solutions overseas and collaborate on global efforts – such as through events like the APEC transportation meeting in Michigan from 15-17 May.