From batteries to EV chargers, Australia and NZ need these 3 fixes to hit net-zero at less cost
- Written by: Flavio Menezes, Professor of Economics, Director of the Australian Institute for Business and Economics, The University of Queensland
New figures show Australians bought a record 85,000 home batteries in the first half of 2025. That’s almost three times more than the year before, and nearly fivefold growth since 2022.
Eventually, those batteries will need to be reused or recycled. What happens then? The rules we create today will shape whether that’s affordable or easily available for householders.
My research – prepared for the federal Treasury at the request of the Australian and New Zealand governments – shows how both countries can reduce regulatory barriers to the net-zero transition.
For example, my consultation with industry revealed that moving a home or car battery from Melbourne to Perth can require multiple permits. This makes transporting batteries across different Australian states needlessly costly.
Unless this is addressed, battery recycling and repurposing markets will be smaller in some places than necessary. This drives up prices and reduces consumer choice.
So how do Australia and New Zealand compare on our current approaches to regulatory standards? And what three reforms do we need to deliver practical changes across the two countries, such as rolling out EV chargers that work with all electric cars, at the lowest price possible?
How standards affect our lives
When we picture barriers to a cleaner economy, we often think of coal plants or polluting petrol cars. Yet a serious obstacle is less visible: regulatory standards.
These technical rules were first introduced in Australia a century ago, for bolts on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Today Australia has around 10,000 voluntary standards, covering everything from workplace and car safety to EV chargers and batteries. These can become mandatory when adopted by regulators or governments.
Operating out of sight, standards are like the economy’s plumbing.
Built well, they help the economy run smoothly. Standards give businesses, investors, and consumers confidence that products are safe, compatible and reliable. They enable trade, cut transaction costs, and help scale up new technologies.
But when standards are set up poorly, we get blockages: slower investment, stifled competition and higher costs.
It’s crucial we get this right now. Over the next decade alone, it’s estimated Australia will need up to 4,000 more new standards to help manage the net-zero transition, along with cyber-security and more.
The price of getting it right or wrong
Take the example of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.
If we want more people to buy EVs, drivers need to know that chargers are safe, “interoperable” (able to seamlessly work for different cars) and widely available.
But if each Australian state sets slightly different regulatory standards, manufacturers and operators face higher costs. Electric car owners then risk ending up with incompatible systems or paying higher prices.
Authors: Flavio Menezes, Professor of Economics, Director of the Australian Institute for Business and Economics, The University of Queensland
