NSW Liberals pledge reforms for easier installation of EV chargers in residential buildings

By HENRIQUE MONTEIRO

The NSW government has committed to reform strata legislation to make the installation of EV charging ports in residential buildings easier.

The change in legislation is welcomed by the Electric Vehicle Council, and reinforces the NSW Liberal government’s Fast Charging Master Plan, a $149 million investment that seeks to develop the state’s EV infrastructure. This week the NSW government pledged that the number of EV chargers in NSW would reach 30,000 by 2026, if the LNP is re-elected at the March state election.

“Right to Charge” in NSW

The incoming changes, seen as the “Right to Charge” laws, will ensure that existing apartments whose owners wish to have EV charging installed will have the right to do so. The laws will also streamline the installation of chargers at in public areas such as commuter carparks, public transport hubs and on power charging stations.

“We want all drivers to be able to recharge whenever and wherever they need to, whether it’s on a road trip, commuting to work or at home,” NSW Treasurer Matt Kean said.

Previous strata legislation meant that changes to common property, of which electrical services and infrastructure are a part off, needed to comply with Section 108 of the Strata Schemes Management Act (SSMA 2015).

The NSW Climate and Energy Action Department clarified that the current changes to strata laws are to be read under the Bill 2020 for Sustainability Infrastructure, exempting EV charging from more complex common property change requirements.

Electric Vehicle Council supports reforms

“Thanks to the government’s efforts, New South Wales is one of the best places to own and drive an EV in Australia,” Behyad Jafari, CEO of the Electric Vehicle Council, said.

Jafari said that electric vehicles owners shouldn’t have EV charging installation requests “knocked back by strata committees”.

“We know new apartment buildings will support EV charging, but we also need to consider the hundreds of thousands of existing apartments and this is where ‘Right To Charge’ laws will be vital” he said.

NSW Minister for Fair Trading Victor Dominello said that the reforms will “make it as easy as possible for people living in one of the 84,000 apartment buildings in NSW to install a charger, without passing on unfair costs to other residents”.

The reforms fall under the Liberal government’s Electric Vehicle Strategy, which has invested a total of $209 million for EV charging infrastructure across the state.