Dametto to Introduce Biofuel Bill
10 October 2022
More clean, “green” fuel would be produced in Australia if Katter’s Australian Party Deputy Leader and Hinchinbrook MP, Nick Dametto gets his way, as he plans to introduce his Liquid Fuel Supply (Minimum Biobased Petrol Content) Amendment Bill 2022 into the Queensland Parliament this week.
The Private Members Bill aims to introduce legislation to crack down on, and deliver higher fines to fuel suppliers who do not comply with the State’s four per cent bio-based petrol mandate, which has been in operation since 2017 but has never been reached.
It would also require for the first time that a minimum quantity of ethanol (nine per cent) be present in E10 fuels, in order to give customers assurance of what they’re putting in their tanks.
The Hinchinbrook MP said for too long fuel retailers had been given a free pass by Government and it was time to crack down on those who were not complying with the biofuels mandate.
“When the mandate came into effect it was understood that fuel retailers who didn’t sell at least four per cent ethanol blended fuels would face fines, but to this day no fines have been handed down despite the mandate never being reached,” he said.
“The KAP Bill is about actually enforcing a mandate that has been in place since 2017.
“It’s time to end the Government’s ‘faux support’ of the biofuel industry, and actually commit to phasing out low quality regular unleaded petrol in favour of E10.”
According to the National Transport Commission, transport accounts for 18 per cent of all of Australia’s carbon dioxide emissions,[1]
“The Governments continues to put pressure on us all to reduce our environmental footprint, yet they continue to allow the big fuel companies to sell Queenslanders some of the dirtiest fuel in the world,” Mr Dametto said.
“ It has been said using a ten per cent ethanol blend can reduce tailpipe emissions by up to 28 per cent.
“This legislation aims to build demand for ethanol in Queensland by ensuring the E10 that customers are purchasing has a required amount of biofuel in the blend.”
Mr Dametto said there was currently no enforced minimum for ethanol content in E10 fuel, which meant retailers could advertise fuel as ethanol-blended E10 regardless of the content.
“At the moment, people have no assurance as to what they’re actually putting in their vehicle when they fill up with E10, customers who choose E10 for the environmental benefit or to support the sugar industry are potentially being shortchanged,” he said.
“In order to build and add solidarity in any emerging market, the part that government needs to play is through either funding or regulation.
“Since the Ethanol mandate became operational in 2017, because of an unwillingness to police the industry we have seen the closure of ethanol production facilities like United Petroleum’s Dalby Bio Refinery.
“Queensland has a thriving sugarcane industry and investors waiting to put their hands in their pockets, we just need to show that there is in fact demand for this clean, locally produced fuel.
“The upsetting thing is, ethanol has never been afforded a chance, and the Palaszczuk Government now seem to be bypassing it all together in their plight to get Queenslanders to trade in their internal combustion engine vehicles for electric.
“While the Government keep banging on about EV’s and charging superhighways, the reality for the vast majority of the state, is electric vehicles are not only cost-prohibitive, but just do not have the milage to make them a practical solution for some time.
“Ethanol, if produced at scale could be as cheap as chips, with increased demand, production costs could plummet, this would be a real-world solution to our skyrocketing unleaded fuel prices.
—ENDS—
[1] https://www.ntc.gov.au/light-vehicle-emissions-intensity-australia