Australia’s leading electric vehicle charging operators and energy industry stakeholders have called on governments to urgently remove barriers to public EV charging infrastructure, warning that recurring fuel shocks highlight the nation’s dangerous reliance on imported fuel.
In a joint industry statement released last week, companies including Tesla and AGL Energy, and industry bodies such as Energy Australia, Clean Energy Council and Smart Energy Council said Australia must accelerate the rollout of EV charging infrastructure to improve energy security and reduce long-term transport costs.
The coalition said it believes private industry is prepared to invest billions of dollars by 2030 to expand Australia’s charging network, but only if governments provide clear policy settings and protect competition.
The group welcomed the Victorian Government for becoming the first jurisdiction to explicitly commit to removing barriers for the competitive market to deliver charging infrastructure, while also describing the New South Wales Government’s recently announced EV Strategy as a positive first step.
The statement argued that Australia’s fuel crisis should be treated as an energy security issue, not simply a transport challenge, with EVs offering households and businesses a pathway away from volatile imported fuel and toward locally generated electricity.
“As businesses in Australia’s EV sector and key industry stakeholders, we are committed to helping solve it,” the statement said.
“The private sector is ready to do the heavy lifting.”
Among the key requests to government were stronger policy certainty, protection against monopoly distribution network service providers entering the competitive charging market, streamlined grid connections, tariff reform, and a nationally coordinated rollout strategy involving councils, networks and industry.
Stephanie Bashir, CEO of Nexa Advisory, said EVs represented the next frontier for Australians wanting to take control of rising living costs.
“To make that a real possibility for everyone, charging infrastructure has to roll out — everywhere, fast,” she said.
Chris Mills, CEO of Evie Networks, said his company had already invested more than $100 million in public charging infrastructure across Australia.
“With BEV numbers up 40 per cent year on year and usage on our network surging, Australia needs significantly more charging infrastructure of all types,” Mills said.
The industry warned that without urgent reform, Australia risks slower EV adoption, weaker private investment and higher long-term costs for taxpayers and electricity users.
Its message to governments was clear: industry is ready to invest, but policy certainty must come first.