Electric vehicle manufacturing

Question

1. On 18 May 2026 the Prime Minister was reported as supporting the return of car manufacturing to Australia, beginning with electric vehicles. a. Were the Department or the Minister consulted before the Prime Minister made these comments? b. Were the comments based on any departmental advice or briefing? If not, when did the Department, and separately the Minister, become aware of them? 2. On the prospect of an electric vehicle manufacturing industry in Australia: a. Has the Department conducted any modelling or costings of establishing such an industry? If so, what are the estimated costs? b. Has the Department identified any barriers to electric vehicle manufacturing in Australia? c. Is the Government considering any incentives or subsidies to attract an electric vehicle manufacturing industry to Australia? 3. In 2021 the Prime Minister made comments about reviving the car industry as part of the National Reconstruction Fund. a. Is reviving vehicle manufacturing still an objective of the Government and the Department? 4. The international president of Chery, Mr Zhang Guibing, has publicly commented on electric vehicle manufacturing in Australia. a. Is the Department aware of those comments? b. Has anyone in the Department, or the Minister, met with Mr Zhang Guibing? If so, please provide meeting notes on notice.

Answer

See attached response.

Documents

• Question with answer (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
• BI-037_Liddle_Electric vehicle manufacturing_DISR.pdf (opens in a new tab)