Cash for clunkers down under?

[Yellow_Festiva]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/...0-for-new-cars

Gillard announces $2000 for new cars, Jul 24, 2010

The federal government will give $2000 to anyone who updates their old car, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced.

From January next year anyone who trades in a car manufactured before 1995 for one that meets emissions standards will receive a $2000 rebate from the government.

"Australians own a lot of old motor cars, and those old cars guzzle a lot of petrol and they spew out a lot of pollution," Ms Gillard told reporters in the marginal Labor-held electorate of Forde, south of Brisbane.

"I want to help Australians to update their motor vehicles," she said, noting that the old cars would be turned into scrap metal.

The rebate will be on offer for 200,000 new vehicles, costing the government $394 million over the forward estimates which it will fund by redirecting funds.

Ms Gillard also announced new mandatory fuel efficiency standards for all new cars from 2015.

It adds to Labor's climate change policy, outlined on Friday.

The policy includes a crackdown on dirty power plants and a $1 billion investment in greening up the electricity grid.

Ms Gillard also wants to set up a 150-person "citizens' assembly" to help the government nut out consensus on the difficult issue of a carbon price.