The Green Left for a number of years have made clear their disdain for car transport. They believe it causes toxic air pollution, contributes to climate change as well as noise pollution. They and their inner city supporters have consistently opposed the construction of new motorways and lobbied for more bike paths to be installed as well as funding for public transport.

Many consider their opposition to car transport, easily the most efficient and timely way to travel around to be another example of the Greens anti-industralization and anti-human agenda. They would prefer us to go back to the hunter gatherer days in the name of saving planet earth and limiting the evil human impact on the natural environment.

However some of the left are not totally opposed to car travel, but of course detest current petrol and diesel car’s carbon footprint. So they have advocated for the adoption of electric cars. They have previously claimed the reason they are not on the road now is because of a conspiracy by the oil companies to suppress innovation in the automotive industry to protect their profits.

The real reason why electric cars have not been embraced by consumers is because of their high cost and unreliable battery power. But what the Green Left should also know is that they do not reduce carbon emissions, this is because the electricity used to charge them can only reliably be generated by coal fired power. Just because the emissions don’t come out out of the exhaust pipe when driving the car doesn’t mean it’s emissions free.

However this reality hasn’t stopped the Greens this week announcing that they would be pushing for the sale of new petrol and diesel cars to be banned from 2030 as a way to fast track the rollout of electric cars. Their policy sees the increasing of the luxury car tax from 33 per cent to 50 per cent and the elimination tariffs, stamp duty and GST on new electric car sales to make them more affordable, plus three years of free car registration.

Of course the Greens policy appears attractive on paper to the layman, but of course we have experienced a decade of being told the transition to renewable energy would be smooth and only required some government incentives to kick it along. In 2018 Australia has some of the highest power prices in the world with our reliability actually going backwards.

One would not be surprised if are all forced to use electric cars our motorways become clogged due to constant breakdowns and of course the increased costs of motor transport could push many Australians off the road and we could be consigning them to a form of transport poverty.

Coincidentally this week Fairfax published an op-ed by Environmental educator Arwen Birch calling for car ads to be banned in the same manner as cigarette ads are. She claims that because motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for those aged 15 to 29 promoting them with messages freedom, coolness and sex appeal to young people is irresponsible. She also claims that car travel is the reason obesity is the second biggest health problem in Australia and believes we should be promoting bicycle transport instead.

If the Green Left want to cycle or catch public transport that is their choice, but please respect the freedoms of those people who find that traveling by motor vehicle is most convenient and expedient method for them and that building more roads to ease traffic is actually what is needed to make transport system safer.

If electric cars are your compromise then the only way they will successfully rolled out into Australia is if they can be financially viable and affordable on the market system. The last thing Australia needs is the government to wreak another one of our essential services.

Author Details
Tim Wilms is the Founder and Editor in Chief of https://theunshackled.net. the Host of Tim’s News Explosion, the WilmsFront interview program and The Theorists with Andy Nolch. He based in Melbourne, Australia where he also conducts field reports.
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Tim Wilms is the Founder and Editor in Chief of https://theunshackled.net. the Host of Tim’s News Explosion, the WilmsFront interview program and The Theorists with Andy Nolch. He based in Melbourne, Australia where he also conducts field reports.