
Electric vehicle sales in Australia surpassed petrol cars for the first time in August, with over 27,000 EVs sold, driven by rising oil prices and federal emissions standards.
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Electric vehicle adoption in Australia has been accelerated by federal vehicle emissions standards and shifting fuel costs.
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Electric vehicle sales in Australia have exceeded petrol cars for the first time.
More than 27,000 EVs were sold in August, a new record for a single month and representing 24.9% of new cars sold. The climate-friendly technology surpassed both petrol vehicles (nearly 26,000 sold) and diesel cars (23,600).
The rise in EVs has been helped by two factors – the war in Iran pushing up oil prices and making running a petrol car significantly more expensive, and the introduction last year of a federal vehicle emissions standard that required auto companies to cut average tailpipe emissions year-on-year.
The climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, said EV sales surpassing petrol cars was a “landmark moment”.
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Electric vehicle sales in Australia exceeded petrol cars for the first time in August, with over 27,000 EVs sold representing 24.9% of new car sales, driven by high fuel prices from the Iran war and government emissions standards, marking a structural shift in consumer choice.
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Australia's corporate regulator ASIC is investigating 551 whistleblower complaints received by the Big Four accounting firms since July 2023, following revelations that confidential Lendlease board papers were used in audit tenders for Westpac and Dexus. ASIC chair Sarah Court confirmed the complaints relate to alleged misconduct by registered auditors, including misuse of confidential information, and said the regulator is reviewing each case to determine if further enforcement action is needed.