Livingstone reverses controversial decision to put brakes on EV charge project

A Central Qld council is now in a race against time to install an EV charge station before the end of the year after it reversed a controversial decision to park that action based on ‘ethical and environmental concerns’.

State Government map showing the rollout plan for EV charge stations.

Livingstone Shire Council is now in a race against time to install an electric vehicle charge station before the end of the year after it reversed last week’s controversial decision to pause that action based on ethical and environmental concerns around EV production.

During lively debate at a special council meeting in front of a packed and at times raucous pro-EV public gallery, CEO Terry Dodds advised councillors that Evie Networks had late on Wednesday withdrawn its proposal to install a fast charge station in Yeppoon due to “reputational risk” and “hefty Ergon tariff charges”.

Mr Dodds said Evie Networks had previously advised they required certainty of the project going forward by Friday, April 25, as under their terms of the funding agreement with the state, the project must be finished by the end of the year.

He said the project value was estimated at $320,000, at no charge to council, which would also receive $4,000 annually for 15 years, plus CPI in license fees by providing the land (road reserve) for the chargers to be installed on.

An Evie Networks charge station site in Sydney. SOURCE: EVIE NETWORKS.

Council, which has struggled for eight years to attract investment in a charging station, is now facing a funding deadline to find another provider as the government scheme for advancing the state’s electric highway expires at the end of 2025.

Councillors eventually voted on Thursday to rescind the motion made on April 15 to suspend any further action advancing EV charge stations until further notice as a result of EV production concerns in recent media reports, most notably a Spotlight report on an Indonesian nickel mine.

Council also voted to acknowledge the complex issues regarding the ethical and environmental supply chain of the EV industry and supported a motion to take ethical and environmental concerns with the wider renewable energy sector, including wind, solar, batteries, pumped hydro and hydrogen, to the next available local government association conferences at state and national levels.

Cr Rhodes Watson, who voted against the April 15 motion to pause the charge station, said Mayor Adam Belot’s actions had caused national embarrassment and now the region was “left swinging in the air without a safety net” due to the withdrawal of Evie Networks.

“You backed the wrong horse,” he said.

Cr Rhodes Watson said the Mayor’s notice of motion had caused Livingstone to become a “national embarrassment”.

“I thank the mayor for putting Livingstone Shire on national media last week for all the wrong reasons.

“Your notice of motion embarrassed the whole shire because you watched a propaganda TV show that didn’t tell the full story, and you didn't research properly and that knee-jerk reaction brings us here today with this motion to allow Livingstone to have a charge station.

“Let’s look the big picture, our shire needs a charge station.”

Deputy Mayor Pat Eastwood responded by saying the mayor didn’t back the wrong horse, “he just put it in a stable for two weeks” to allow further research into the Spotlight report and other information concerning allegations about global EV production issues.

Cr Belot said taking on more information over the past week had allowed him to better understand the EV production issues.

“The standard you are prepared to walk past is the standard you become (and) I was not prepared to walk past at that point in time knowing there were potentially human rights concerns that are the responsibility of local government whether you like it or not,” he said.

“You cannot offload that, it sits on your shoulders.”

He said he represents the 42,000 people of the shire, not just the few dozen, mostly EV owners, who attended the council meeting.

He said his investigations had confirmed there were valid concerns with the supply chain of the EV industry, particularly with some coming out of China.

Livingstone Shire Mayor Adam Belot said his research had discovered there are concerns with the EV supply chain.

He said the motion on Thursday, April 24 recognised there were “good EVs, good wind and solar, great renewable energy” but those products needed to be regulated and monitored as they didn't all match Australian standards.

Cr Belot will be seeking assurance with the Federal Government through the local government motions that it is holding EV producers to account with what they are importing into Australia regarding the origins of production, including how they are manufactured.

He said claims that his actions had jeopardised the region’s tourist industry were a “gross overreach”.

Yeppoon man Arthur Hunt, a member of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association, addressed councillors to inform them of the importance of the EV driver industry to the shire, which is seeing numbers accelerating.

He said by March 2025 there were over 56,000 battery powered EVs, 12,000 plug in hybrid electric vehicles and 1767 electric motorcycles registered in Queensland.

Mr Hunt said two years ago there were only 18,000 battery electric vehicles, 3400 hybrid plug-ins, and 1300 electric motorcycles.

He provided several examples of people who had been forced to cut visits to Yeppoon short because of the lack of a charger.

Mr Hunt said the vice president of the Australian Tesla owners club was among those who had written to council last week to support the installation of a charge station.

“Following reports in the national media, EV owners all over Australia know that the Capricorn Coast does not have an EV charger and may not have one,” he said.

Mr Dodds said after the meeting that council will contact Evie Networks to inform them of the outcome and discuss whether they are willing to reconsider their position.

“If not, council officers will confirm next steps with the funding body, the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority, to determine if alternative providers can be approached in order to continue progressing the project,” he said.

“Council acknowledges the strong interest this matter has received locally and nationally, and appreciates the community’s input.

“Council remains committed to seeking opportunities that support sustainable transport infrastructure across the region.”
Mr Dodds said in a report that the nickel extracted from Indonesian mines was predominantly used in the manufacture of stainless steel.

He said EV charger supplier Kempower supplied the EV Chargers to Evie Networks ad had achieved multiple ISO certifications that underscored its commitment to quality, environmental sustainability, and occupational health and safety.

Originally published as Livingstone reverses controversial decision to put brakes on EV charge project