A report says the Queensland government’s target for zero-emission bus fleets is “overly ambitious” and unlikely to be met.
Sky News host Liz Storer says the breakdown of NSW Labor’s electric campaign bus, which ran out of battery and left staffers and media stranded, highlights the challenges of transitioning to electric vehicles and the need for better planning.
The government pledged for all new urban buses in South East Queensland to be zero-emission from 2025, and for regional Queensland to begin its transition to zero-emission fleets between 2025 and 2030.
But Industry Engagement Findings on the transport promise, seen by The Courier-Mail, flag a national skills and labour shortage and questions the claim for the fleet to be constructed locally.
The findings said the program timeline was seen as overly ambitious, and may not support the objective of establishing sustainable local manufacturing.
It also highlighted lead times for upgrading the grid connections and ordering batteries as particular concerns in meeting the time frame.
The government consulted with representatives from 70 organisations and received nearly 1000 items of feedback from the industry experts who urged the Department of Transport and Main Roads to clearly define its expectations for local manufacturing.
“Attendees called for a rigorous definition of local content to provide clarity to manufacturers and enable claims about local content to be assessed,” it said.
It also said industry figures “identified a national skill and labour shortage which is already affecting industry capacity and capability”.
The report questions whether zero-emission buses will be built locally.
According to the Queensland government website, a key objective of the program is “considering how to develop a sustainable pipeline of local manufacturing”.
During the industry engagement, the sector urged the government to develop training pathways for new and existing workers, particularly to upskill staff to work on the battery electric buses.
“Queensland’s electrical licensing requirements for staff who manufacture and maintain battery electric buses need to be clarified,” it revealed.
“Operators and their staff also need to be upskilled.
“Collaboration was seen as critical to making progress.”
South East Queensland’s diesel bus fleet emits more than 12,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, according to Translink, which said the staged implementation of the sustainable bus program will aim to reduce 50 per cent of the emissions by 2030 and 80 per cent by 2035.
The spokesman also credited the industry engagement as a key component in delivering Queensland’s transition to a zero-emission bus fleet.
“Seventy organisations attended industry roundtable sessions in February, and we welcome their feedback and constructive contribution which will continue to inform the zero emission bus program,” he said.
“The Queensland government has made a commitment from 2025 every new government funded urban bus added to the SEQ fleet will be zero-emission and in the regions from between 2025 and 2030.
“(We) will continue to work with stakeholders to deliver this outcome, including local benefits.”