Zali Steggall’s electric car dreams

In the interest of holding politicians to their election promises ... how’s that electric vehicle?

Member for Warringah Zali Steggall.

Here at Strewth we’re always keen to hold politicians to their election promises. Hence our ongoing interest in the independent-for-now Zali Steggall’s vow to purchase an electric vehicle. Steggall told Sky last month that despite her $200k-plus MP salary, she couldn’t afford one: “I, like every other Australian, have budget pressures, mortgages pressures.”

The member for Warringah said she would “welcome” the government taking steps to make EVs cheaper so she can “accelerate the process” of ditching her gas-guzzling Nissan Pathfinder (ironically, one of the highest carbon emitters on the market, letting out an eye-watering 234g of carbon dioxide per kilometre). “I am committed, when it comes time to changing my vehicle, that I will change it to an EV.”

Gas guzzler ... Zali Steggall and her sometime-in-the-future-to-be-replaced Nissan Pathfinder. Picture: File

Five months on from her election win, Steggall has test-driven a number of EVs, we understand, but there’s one rather large problem holding her back from making a purchase: the height of her three teens (including one over six foot, or 183cm in new money). They’re tall to fit in most standard cars.

Steggall confirmed the tall tale: “I do indeed have three rather tall teenagers at home and I’m finding the lack of models of large family electric vehicles in Australia compared to the rest of the world really frustrating. I have looked at both EVs and hybrids but the number of models in Australia is really limited, which is why I am advocating for more choice. I am also calling for Parliament House to install charging facilities.”

We haven’t seen anywhere to charge EVs in the people’s car parks, but there are three conveniently located Tesla chargers about 1km from parliament — outside The Kurrajong (opposite Liberal HQ Menzies House), Hotel Realm and the Hyatt.

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Terrible Muriel tale

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack spent Monday staring at autonomous vehicles in Sydney, as part of the Australia and New Zealand Driverless Vehicle Initiative. After his predecessor, Barnaby Joyce, insisted MickMac “has to do the best he can” and Resources Minister Matt Canavan dismissed last week’s near-spill as the “Nationals party at its finest” — “What our members do … they have a healthy disrespect of authority” — McCormack’s anecdote to wow the international crowd could be seen as a possibly ominous prediction about his leadership.

Minister Michael McCormack walks into Question Time with his Big Little Book of Aussie Jokes. Picture: AAP

“Just a little recently, just prior to the election, I was actually the acting prime minister,” MickMac recalled. “When you’re the acting prime minister, you get all the security detail and they watch your every move … as I went to get up on the stage, this woman — let’s just call her Muriel — grabbed my jacket. (Please hold all “You’re terrible, Muriel” impressions until the end of the story.) As I made way, she grabbed my jacket and wouldn’t let it go. She said, ‘Did you know, acting prime minister, that we have a great thing in the Inner Wheel (women’s equivalent of Rotary)?’ She said, ‘We actually elect a new leader every year’, and I said, ‘Oh, very good, Muriel’.” And she said, ‘It gives us fresh ideas, innovation’. ‘You know,’ she said, ‘we’ve always done it, and I’m assuming we always will.’ And I said, ‘That’s great, Muriel, yeah.’ So I got up to the stage and I said, ‘Fantastic, Muriel’s just told me that Inner Wheel changes its leader every 12 months’. I said, ‘Don’t feel so special, Muriel, we do the same in Canberra’.” Zing!

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Work like Chalmers

While we’re on the subject of being fit for office, is opposition Treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers getting himself ready for a run? Last week, the Queenslander updated his register of members interests to include “3-month membership at F45 Training”.

Jim Chalmers ... “what do you mean someone signed me up for a free three-month F45 membership? Can I give it back?”. Picture: AAP

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Time difference

Labor leader Anthony Albanese went full time lord in Western Australia.

Journo: Have you shifted your position on the renewable energy target Labor took to the election, particularly in the light of revelations we are struggling to meet our Paris climate (inaudible)?

Albanese: Well, we took a policy to the election that was based upon a policy that was determined in 2015. By definition, the next election won’t be until 2022. So it was a policy determined in 2015 for 2020, in 2022. By definition, you can’t have the same policy unless you have a TARDIS and go back in time to 2015.

Journalist: Could you outline to us what is Labor’s renewable energy target?

Albanese: I’ve just answered your question. You know, we will have a renewable energy target. Well before the next election.

We cannot confirm nor deny rumours that Anthony Albanese used a TARDIS to obtain this shirt. Picture: AAP

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