Non-EV households to pay a small levy on power bills to fund Australia’s public charging rollout

Summary: Every Australian household could pay up to A$1.44 a year extra on their electricity bill to fund a national rollout of public EV chargers, under a plan the Albanese government has formally endorsed and put to the energy regulator.

The Department of Climate Change has written to the Australian Energy Market Commission requesting a rule change that would allow electricity networks to recover the cost of pole-mounted chargers through the regulated asset base, the Australian Financial Review reveals. Charge point operators get first right of refusal to install chargers at network-identified sites; networks step in as provider of last resort if they decline. The department estimates the household cost at between A$0.70 and A$1.44 a year, with no charges passed on until 2029. The plan has drawn fire from the National Electrical and Communications Association, which argues the networks are using the transition to expand their monopolies rather than accelerate the rollout.

With EVs now accounting for just under 8 percent of new car sales, the infrastructure argument is real. Who controls the infrastructure is the fight.

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