The Victorian Government is pushing to get 1000 old cars off regional roads with a new ‘Cash for Clunkers‘ pilot.
Announced by Premier Daniel Andrews overnight, the scheme will “provide grants to help young people in regional areas scrap their old car and buy something newer and safer”.
“We’ll also support regional Victorians aged 65 and over on lower incomes, with short-term, affordable leases on newer and safer cars to help them get around safely,” Mr Andrews said in a Facebook post.
Details about how much will be paid haven’t been released, nor has information about the conditions that will be placed on the money. CarExpert has contacted the Victorian Government for more information, and will update when it’s available.
Although the oldest vehicles on Australian roads account for around 20 per cent of the fleet, a 2018 study from ANCAP found they’re involved in almost 40 per cent of all fatal accidents.
Vehicles built after 2012 account for more than 30 per cent of the fleet, but are involved in slightly more than 10 per cent of fatalities.
There’s also an environmental benefit to getting old cars off the road, and getting their drivers into something newer.
The peak body for car dealers in Australia, the Australian Automotive Dealer Association (AADA), last year called for a ‘Cash for Clunkers’ scheme to drive buyers back to showrooms after tough economic conditions and COVID-19 lockdowns wrought havoc on new car sales.
Australia flirted with a national ‘Cash for Clunkers’ scheme in 2010 aimed at getting people into cleaner, greener cars, but it was shelved by the Gillard Government and the money was reallocated.
The best-known example of a used-car rebate is the USA, which in July 2009 committed the equivalent of A$4.0 billion to getting old, dirty cars off the road with A$5500 rebates.
