---
title: Australia’s High Court overturns Victoria’s EV taxes
description: Australia’s High Court has ditched Victoria’s controversial tax on electric and hybrid vehicles, setting a precedent that will stop other states from introducing similar taxes.
---
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# Australia’s High Court overturns Victoria’s EV taxes
Thursday, 19 October 2023
In a landmark ruling, Australia’s High Court has ditched Victoria’s controversial tax on electric and hybrid vehicles in finding that it was unconstitutional. This finding has set a precedent that will stop other states from introducing similar taxes that would slow the transition and hinder collective efforts to reduce emissions.
Western Australia’s Department of Water and Environmental Regulation is now investigating the environmental failures of Chevron’s Gorgon gas project, including beach erosion where turtles nest, chemical contamination of soil and water, and breaches of the strict quarantine that was intended to preserve the island’s ecosystem.
And along with other activists, Greta Thunberg has been detained by police during a protest outside a major oil and gas industry conference in Central London where activists were calling out the industry for delaying the renewables transition in favour of profit.
**Top stories:**
[‘Unconstitutional’: Victoria’s controversial EV tax to be dumped after bombshell ruling](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news.com.au%2Ftechnology%2Fmotoring%2Fmotoring-news%2Funconstitutional-victorias-controversial-ev-tax-to-be-dumped-after-bombshell-ruling%2Fnews-story%2F717963eed4e3eb0e4dcc25ea8ebc33c8&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=iawXXa4d7WR0xUu4TH0GeWrms0w&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdSJ9._9eIk96tIPNTjXwzMngn8CFnjBniEWEG71sNjH2GiqhhnqHvoch0hnhg2EgYcYnFoZnfeMpFAgXVacvMtxi1Pg)
A controversial tax on electric and hybrid vehicles in Victoria will be ditched after a landmark High Court ruling found the levy was “unconstitutional”.
[Climate activist Greta Thunberg arrested at London protest outside oil and gas forum](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2F2023-10-18%2Fclimate-activist-greta-thunberg-arrested-london-protest%2F102991592&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=oLVW7ZW8iASZ4q7RBRrdeyqJsWI&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5hYmMubmV0LmF1In0.G6KfJQf9DTg3BPfDRnL8aNk-KGOfbZc12czKSTcqj9BstN0qGFyj-TGroGNT_097qH1_WRMtfq5v4vGs7BrXgQ)
Greta Thunberg has been detained by UK police alongside other climate activists who gathered outside a central London hotel to disrupt a major oil and gas industry conference.
[Turtles, toxic PFAS and quarantine: Probes target Chevron’s Gorgon](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.smh.com.au%2Fnational%2Fwestern-australia%2Fturtles-toxic-pfas-and-quarantine-probes-target-chevron-s-gorgon-20231016-p5ecrv.html&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=22fCegqHyccoipDnHOQoADGYx-s&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5zbWguY29tLmF1In0.dLrErlrnr5ygrw6r9BmLnD1I0aNYVH93_YJo5EofLTHngNTsac5xMwvusd5MeI2-ZEAd-GcYmYdqdbniemYuyQ)
Western Australia’s environment regulator is investigating environmental failures of Chevron’s Gorgon gas project on the Barrow Island nature reserve off the Pilbara coast, to determine if the US giant has broken the law
[Evidence of climate change impact on ocean, Antarctica](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.perthnow.com.au%2Fnews%2Fenvironment%2Fevidence-of-climate-change-impact-on-ocean-antarctica-c-12240304&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=XEdVvSe89HOAnFm7bSq1pspa-yw&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5wZXJ0aG5vdy5jb20uYXUifQ.oT-ywzkqeFNs-eMBCd8ywNRrf9GYu4YxM-UbqAD7PUJq-KBWybXBOERz6ZgB1I_w9hHjVCxTCKW6VE1DogDe0w)
A five-year research project shows that climate change is driving shifts in the ecosystem and species of the Southern Ocean and coastal Antarctica, with the region’s long-term maintenance only possible where urgent global action is taken to address climate change and ocean acidity.
[Global Emissions Predicted to Hit All Time High in 2023, Scientists Warn](https://www.sciencealert.com/global-emissions-predicted-to-hit-new-high-in-2023-scientists-warn)
Scientists say carbon pollution will need to be cut almost in half this decade to meet the world's targets of limiting global warming and avoiding catastrophic climate impacts.
[Hydrogen-powered garbage truck hits streets in the Illawarra](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2F2023-10-18%2Fhydrogen-powered-garbage-truck-on-the-streets-of-the-illawarra%2F102985088&urlCategories=newsLtd&analytics=false&documentId=vynbZl2maorQdak85uo1_cWRIgY&transitionToken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJob3N0bmFtZSI6Ind3dy5hYmMubmV0LmF1In0.G6KfJQf9DTg3BPfDRnL8aNk-KGOfbZc12czKSTcqj9BstN0qGFyj-TGroGNT_097qH1_WRMtfq5v4vGs7BrXgQ)
Australia's first zero-emission, hydrogen-powered garbage truck has made its maiden collection round and will demonstrate how carbon-free transport could work in an industrial setting.
[World’s first solar-powered SUV goes 620 miles without charging](https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/300991291/worlds-first-solarpowered-suv-goes-620-miles-without-charging)
A car said to be the “world’s first off-road solar-powered vehicle” able to connect remote areas with scant charging capabilities has completed a 1000km test drive across Morocco and the Sahara.
[energy policy](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/energy-policy), [Electric vehicles](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/electric-vehicles), [fossil fuel](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/fossil-fuel), [renewables](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/renewables), [activism](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/activism), [transport](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/transport), [pollution](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/pollution)
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