1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,320 Speaker 1: Afternoon, the government will scrap petrol taxes and replace them 2 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:06,600 Speaker 1: instead with road user charges for everyone. The petrol tax 3 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:09,440 Speaker 1: is about seventy cents per liter at the pump. Diesel, 4 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:12,320 Speaker 1: electric and heavy vehicles already pay charges based on the 5 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:15,000 Speaker 1: distances that they travel. Chris Bishop is the Transport minister. 6 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:18,280 Speaker 2: Haybish gooda, so how is this going to work. 7 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:19,840 Speaker 1: We're all going to have to count our cas and 8 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:21,440 Speaker 1: then file some paperwork. 9 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 3: No, what you'll have to do is essentially run an 10 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:27,200 Speaker 3: electronic system. 11 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:29,280 Speaker 2: We already have this for trucks. 12 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:32,600 Speaker 3: For example, they use electronic ruck now, so they just 13 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:37,400 Speaker 3: the truck has a little transponder which is linked into 14 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 3: a payment system and the trucks pay electronically depending on 15 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:43,280 Speaker 3: how much they use and obviously based on the weight 16 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 3: of the trucks. 17 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:45,800 Speaker 2: That it'll be like that for everybody else as well. 18 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:48,520 Speaker 3: And my anticipation is that people will have it linked 19 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 3: into an app or some sort of electronic system and 20 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 3: you know, you'll pay weekly or potentially a monthly. 21 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 2: You just get a bill and you'll pay, and. 22 00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:57,600 Speaker 3: You won't have to pay when you pay at the 23 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:01,080 Speaker 3: petrol pump because petrol tax won't exist anymore. Everyone no 24 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:04,000 Speaker 3: matter what the propulsion type, will be paying road user charges. 25 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:07,040 Speaker 3: What happens if you don't pay, well, on the same 26 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:09,319 Speaker 3: same way that it happens now, you're breaking the law 27 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:11,320 Speaker 3: and you have to Will it actually be a lot 28 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:14,320 Speaker 3: easier to enforce them in the new system than what 29 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:16,000 Speaker 3: we have at the moment because the ruck system is 30 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:18,560 Speaker 3: paper based at the moment, and you know you've got 31 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:19,960 Speaker 3: to you know, you've got to go online, you've got 32 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 3: to buy it one thousand kilometer chunks. Heaps of people 33 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 3: don't do that, and you know you've got to or 34 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:28,880 Speaker 3: you've got to display it, you know, a paper form 35 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:32,040 Speaker 3: on the top of your dashboard. So it'll all be electronic, 36 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 3: linked into a system, and it'll be against the law 37 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 3: to not do it. 38 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, But like if you get your if you get 39 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:38,119 Speaker 1: your power bill and you don't pay it, your power 40 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:40,559 Speaker 1: goes off. So what happens if you don't pay this bill, 41 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:41,640 Speaker 1: car doesn't stop. 42 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:43,199 Speaker 2: Well, there'll be there will be there will. 43 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 3: Be penalties obviously, which which will well enforce and you know, 44 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 3: all of that will be worked out as we pass 45 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 3: the legislation, and you know, I've got two to three 46 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 3: years as we do that. But it will be against 47 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 3: the law and there will be a range of penalties, 48 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 3: and we'll be talking to the police about how to 49 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 3: enforce that in the same way they enforce everything else 50 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,440 Speaker 3: on the roads as well, include including WAFT for example, 51 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:03,480 Speaker 3: and the current road user system as well. 52 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: Will it cost the same as it does now? So 53 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:09,400 Speaker 1: for example, whatever I'm paying in petrol tax, will I 54 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:11,400 Speaker 1: be charged Should I be expecting to pay about the 55 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:12,640 Speaker 1: same in rucks? 56 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:14,920 Speaker 2: Yes, that's the intention. 57 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 3: The intention is not to The intention is to protect 58 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 3: the revenue base of the National Land Transport Fund at 59 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 3: the moment, right, So if we don't make this change, 60 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 3: what's happening at the moment with the rise of fuel 61 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 3: efficient vehicles. You know, ten years ago there was about 62 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 3: twelve thousand of them on the road of hybrids. Now 63 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:35,280 Speaker 3: we've got about three hundred and fifty thousand hybrids on 64 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 3: the roads, and the revenue base for the National Land 65 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,080 Speaker 3: Transport Fund, which pays for the new roads and pays 66 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:44,000 Speaker 3: for the maintenance of the existing roads, that is gradually 67 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:47,359 Speaker 3: diminishing because of the rise of fuel efficient vehicles, so 68 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:49,680 Speaker 3: in electric vehicles and things like that. So if we 69 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 3: don't make this change, we will over time erode the 70 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 3: way in which we pay for our roads, and my 71 00:02:57,360 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 3: simple messages, we have to keep investing in our roading net. 72 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:03,239 Speaker 3: You know, dis Goverment's put a record amount into pothole 73 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:06,799 Speaker 3: prevention and maintenance, for example, and a huge program of 74 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:09,639 Speaker 3: roads of national significance. We want to build out around 75 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 3: the country and we need to continue to pay for 76 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 3: our roads. But if we don't make this change, that 77 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 3: the ability to do that will be hindered. And you know, 78 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:21,240 Speaker 3: we simply had you know, someone is going to have 79 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:24,960 Speaker 3: to make this change. We're just recognizing reality and we're 80 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 3: getting on with it, and we're doing it in a 81 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:29,480 Speaker 3: careful and deliberate way. We're not we're not rushing it. 82 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:31,519 Speaker 3: You know, we're not saying tomorrow you're going to start 83 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,200 Speaker 3: paying electronic road user charges. We're doing it in a 84 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 3: careful way. Well, we'll pass legislation next year. By twenty 85 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 3: twenty seven, there'll be a range of providers that will 86 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 3: provide electronic ruck for people, and at some point after 87 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 3: that we will do the big switcher Rooney, We'll do 88 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:50,360 Speaker 3: the big changeover and everyone will be required to use that. 89 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 1: Okay, now I'm getting a lot of texts from people 90 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:55,400 Speaker 1: saying things like, I know people with the five hundred 91 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 1: bucks scanner to turn back the odometer. Can people get 92 00:03:58,760 --> 00:03:59,680 Speaker 1: around your system like that? 93 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 2: No, they won't be able to. I mean there's a 94 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:02,680 Speaker 2: couple of things. 95 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 3: One one is that cars that are entering the fleet 96 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:08,680 Speaker 3: now actually have built into the car the technology to 97 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:11,840 Speaker 3: link in to electronic road user charges. So other countries 98 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:14,320 Speaker 3: have this now, right, So cars that are entering the 99 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 3: fleet already have that modern cars. The second is that 100 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 3: you can get little transponders that you know, you can 101 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:21,599 Speaker 3: put in your in your car or on your dashboard 102 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 3: that link into how much you're traveling and that can 103 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:27,600 Speaker 3: link into the payment system as well. So there's there's 104 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:29,920 Speaker 3: a range of different scenarios that we'll work through as 105 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:32,599 Speaker 3: part of designing the system. But it won't be as 106 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:34,600 Speaker 3: simple as just windering your adometer back. 107 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:36,560 Speaker 1: That won't be possible, all right, Besh, Thanks very much, 108 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 1: Chris Bishop, Transport Minister. 109 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:41,800 Speaker 2: For more from Heather Duplessy, Allen Drive, listen live to 110 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:42,400 Speaker 2: news talks. 111 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 1: It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast 112 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:46,720 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.