Article: PM's $2000 drive to scrap old wrecks

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

PM's $2000 drive to scrap old wrecks

PM's $2000 drive to scrap old wrecks
July 24, 2010 - 11:22AM

The federal government will give $2000 to anyone who updates their old car, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced.

From January next year anyone who trades in a car manufactured before 1995 for one that meets emissions standards will receive a $2000 rebate from the government.

"Australians own a lot of old motor cars, and those old cars guzzle a lot of petrol and they spew out a lot of pollution," Ms Gillard told reporters in the marginal Labor-held electorate of Forde, south of Brisbane.

"I want to help Australians to update thir motor vehicles," she said, noting that the old cars would be turned into scrap metal.

The rebate will be on offer for 200,000 new vehicles, costing the government $394 million over the forward estimates which it will fund by redirecting funds.

Ms Gillard also announced new mandatory fuel efficiency standards for all new cars from 2015.

It adds to Labor's climate change policy, outlined yesterday.

The policy includes a crackdown on dirty power plants and a $1 billion investment in greening up the electricity grid.

Ms Gillard also wants to set up a 150-person "citizens' assembly" to help the government nut out consensus on the difficult issue of a carbon price.

AAP

[#Metro]

This is such a waste of money!
$400 million dollars wasted on rubbish! 

With that money you could get more buses and trains, upgrade PT services which would cut greenhouse emissions more than this initiative.

[Jonno]

Bus this policy is sponsored by Ford, Holden, etc, etc.      There are better ways to reduce green house gas and pollution levels.

[ozbob]

ALP --> http://www.alp.org.au/agenda/connecting-renewables/cleaner-car-rebate/

Relatively, this is not being well received out in the 'blogo-sphere' ....

[#Metro]

Even if cars emitted ZERO pollution, they still would create pollution at the power plant or oil refinery (hydrogen vehicles), still cause congestion, still need oil products for the production of asphalt on freeways and rubber for the tyres, and still cause accidents.

As usual, another waste of money by the government!

[WTN]

Good point there tramtrain. While electric cars seem to be the "holy grail" when it comes to air pollution, we seem to forget the inefficiencies of car transport. An electric bus would still be more efficient.

Personally, I don't think this scheme does much to get people to ditch their cars and go with active and public transport. I'd applaud this scheme if the person applying signs a declaration saying they will not buy a car for at least 5 years. This declaration then gets forwarded to the state transport authorities for enforcement. Otherwise, it's about a car replacing a car.