Australian LPG rebate - BAD GAS.

This information comes about due to an article in Issue 217 of Australian Street Rodding Magazine in July 2008 on page 4 titled
' Leading Engineer calls for Aussies to use LPG.'

I wonder how many others have found the grey area of the LPG rebate. What I found I am not happy about and I am sure many others may have also found it but have not spoken up. I asked Aus Industry if I could apply for the rebate and they said yes but on further investigation found out if you take longer than 12 months ( to fit the LPG ) and in the finish both Medicare and Centrelink will refuse the application. Why is this ? I had a wait of a few months just to get an LPG tank and that was just one delay because so many are installing LPG for the rebate and for it being a cleaner fuel for the enviroment.

If you are working on a project and that could be any of the following, a Hot Rod, a Street Machine, a Restored vehicle or just a project vehicle you enjoy doing your own work on or perhaps you are doing the conversion your self due to financial restraint and in the finish you will have it signed off by a certified installer. But how do you apply for the rebate for the LPG when both Medicare and Centrelink say your receipts for the LPG parts used are to old and to long ago for them to deal with ? How do you then get the rebate for the money you have spent ? I am out of pocket and if I had known all this I would never have designed my vehicle to have LPG at all and that goes against the content of the article and the fact LPG is a cleaner fuel for the enviroment.

I am still in discussion with the Mr Steve Gibbons ( Federal Member for Bendigo ) and the staff in his office as well as a senior staff member from Aus Industry also from Bendigo and the Technical Manager from LPG Australia. I would like to hear from anyone that has found the same issue / problem so we can see if we can get the issue solved and be able to apply for the rebate or if you can offer any assitance at all in the matter I would be very happy.

A bump to the topic -

New information and after checking with my VASS Engineer I would like to point out another grey area in the LPG rebate rules.

My VASS engineer wants all work finished on the vehicle before he writes my engineers report and that includes the LPG being signed off before I can register the vehicle so it is included in his report on the vehicle. No LPG signed off means no Engineers report and that means I can not register my vehicle. No where in the rules does it state I can or can not have the LPG signed off before or after I register the vehicle yet I am told after registration is the only way I can get the rebate. :roll:

This link may explain more to you about the what a VASS Engineer is
http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/Home/Roa ... esVASS.htm

How many others have not realised this ?

BUMP topic. This is an Issue. :roll: :arg:

Here is the problem in a nut shell.
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1, Aus Industry do not give a time frame to fit LPG.
When is a conversion considered finished ? Is it the date on the invoices for purchase of parts or the date when a COMPLIANCE plate is fitted by the Installer doing the conversion ?

2, Under the Victorian VIC ROADS guidelines I have to comply with a VASS Engineer. All work on the vehicle must be completed for the Engineer to write a report including the COMPLIANCE plate for the LPG and this must be done BEFORE registration. If I do not have this report from the VASS engineer then I can not register the vehicle. If I return to the Installer and ask him to date the AUS INDUSTRY LPG claim form after the date of the vehicle registration that then becomes FRAUD.
How do I work with these rules and the LPG rebate ?

CATCH 22 - How do I get the rebate on what is not a new vehicle but the LPG is finished before Registration as required under Victorian Law ?

How then do I apply for the LPG rebate ? I have been asking these two questions for a long time now ( I first called 132846 on the 12th October 2006 ) and I have not got an answer that deals with the above.
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Mate are you Australian born and bred?

Cut your losses now, your getting yourself into a web from hell dealing with the Australian government.

They make the rules and when state rules do not work with Federal rules and it effects you then you would argue the point. If I cut my losses I may as well go on the dole. :nono:

I am not the only one argueing this point. Many others in the same situation.

How would you like it if some one came to you today and said you can not do what you like doing or perhaps you hobby or car was to become an Illegal activity over night. Would you cut your losses and walk away from what you enjoy ? Or how about staff ? You have to tell them due to these changes we have no work for you any more.

Oh, I am born and bred a true Aussie battler. Time you woke up in Adelaide A few in the same position as myself and in SA that are not happy and so far I have heard from more in all states that agree with me about getting the point across. Even the LPG association agree with my point of view and have take it up with Aus Industry at joint meetings.

Informed today it will come up in question time at the next sitting of the Government so if any one else has had the same problem speak up now.

Having now read Hansard it does appear the Australian Federal Govt do not like old cars. There could be a secret agenda to get old cars off the road as polluters and gain green credits.

They ( the govt ) would rather see us all driving new cars. Only one Senator could understand why older cars are using LPG and why car enthusiasts like LPG as a better fuel.

They are changing the rules all the time. You should get $2000-00 rebate for an older vehicle converted to LPG, yet on this page today - http://www.ausindustry.gov.au/Energyand ... /home.aspx
it now shows $2000-00 for a new car & $1750-00 for converting an older vehicle.
________________________________________________________________________________
Grant
Conversion Completed

$1,750
Between 1 July 2009 and 30 June 2010




$1,500
Between 1 July 2010 and 30 June 2011

$1,250
Between 1 July 2011 and 30 June 2012

$1,000
Between 1 July 2012 and 30 June 2013

$1,000
Between 1 July 2013 and 30 June 2014



2. New LPG Vehicles
For purchase of a new vehicle fitted with LPG before first registration:

Grant
Vehicle Purchase Completed

$2,000
Between 1 July 2009 and 30 June 2014
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http://www.ausindustry.gov.au/Energyand ... 202009.pdf this is the guidlines that will answer your questions. You will note the guidelines no longer match the home page and the information above. According to this page you should still get $2000-00 rebate .
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GRANT ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE
There are different grants available, subject to eligibility criteria:
1. a grant of $2,000:
a. for the LPG conversion of a new or used petrol or diesel motor vehicle (this
includes new or used vehicles where the conversion occurs after the vehicle
is registered; and new vehicles where the LPG unit is fitted after
manufacture but before the vehicle is registered for the first time); or
b. for the purchase of a new motor vehicle with an LPG unit fitted at the time of
manufacture, for vehicles purchased on or after 10 November 2008
2. a grant of $1,000 for the purchase of a new motor vehicle with an LPG unit fitted
at the time of manufacture, for vehicles purchased before 10 November 2008.
We will determine which grant you are entitled to on the basis of your application
information.
________________________________________________________________________________
and further to this our Federal Government cancelled the Solar Power rebate early leaving another industry in a mess.

Have a look at this.
http://www.ausindustry.gov.au/Energyand ... 202009.pdf

Below is from the top of page 3 that I have taken from that web page.



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I have converted my classic car or street rod to LPG, am I eligible to claim the grant?

No, because the vehicle is authorised to travel on public roads in limited specified circumstances only.

What is a private use vehicle?

A vehicle for private use is:


 a vehicle which is registered under the laws of a State or Territory for private use; or family use; or otherwise for the private purposes of an individual; or

 if the laws of the State or Territory under which the vehicle is registered do not differentiate between private use and other kinds of use, such as and business use ˆ a vehicle which the registered owner has declared, on the application form for the Scheme, is for private use.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
So typical of our uninformed Govt.

I have had a written response from one of the Senators I have wrote to.
At least she agrees there are some blatant mistakes with how the guidelines have been written.

Well it appears I can now tell many "I told you so" as I had a visit from Senator Eric Abetz today who intends to back me up with what I have done as to how I have complied to the rules etc.

Let us see what happens next.

Hang in there brother, sooner or later, someone has to take a stand. There are a lot of people with a vested interest in the custom/retro vehicle industry, I'm surprised none of 'em have stood up with you.

JesseB":1zcl479l said:

Hang in there brother, sooner or later, someone has to take a stand. There are a lot of people with a vested interest in the custom/retro vehicle industry, I'm surprised none of 'em have stood up with you.

Click to expand...

Thank you. Not easy on my own but I have made a point AND to get a Senator out of Canberra to come and see me was a big thing. I have made my point Oh I should add many others have seen the point some time ago but not seen the facts I have pointed out.

Cleaner fuel ( Can I say GREEN ) should be a big issue extra-specialy in our modified car industry.

Australian Street Rodding magazine has had a few letters. A recent response in issue 233 covers the trade side of the topic.

Cool23":5dfo51ch said:

JesseB":5dfo51ch said:

Hang in there brother, sooner or later, someone has to take a stand. There are a lot of people with a vested interest in the custom/retro vehicle industry, I'm surprised none of 'em have stood up with you.

Click to expand...

Thank you. Not easy on my own but I have made a point AND to get a Senator out of Canberra to come and see me was a big thing. I have made my point Oh I should add many others have seen the point some time ago but not seen the facts I have pointed out.

Cleaner fuel ( Can I say GREEN ) should be a big issue extra-specialy in our modified car industry.

Click to expand...

Cool, I don't want to get all political here, but Kev-o-sev seems to be losing his way. I just saw a report that said rebates for "green" fuel are slowly but steadily are being phased out, or at least pruned sharply, and this on top of all the "carbon trading" BS. Where is this all leading? All I want to do is tinker with and drive my classics. It's so depressing, we all work to support our hobbies, and contribute a lot to treasury via countless taxes, but we're being used as pawns in a much bigger game. *climbs down off soap box*

JesseB":1x47vodc said:

Cool, I don't want to get all political here, but Kev-o-sev seems to be losing his way. I just saw a report that said rebates for "green" fuel are slowly but steadily are being phased out, or at least pruned sharply, and this on top of all the "carbon trading" BS. Where is this all leading? All I want to do is tinker with and drive my classics. It's so depressing, we all work to support our hobbies, and contribute a lot to treasury via countless taxes, but we're being used as pawns in a much bigger game. *climbs down off soap box*

Click to expand...

As the rebates get cancelled or with-drawn as did the Solar rebate and now the LPG rebate is slowly being pulled back so you get less next we will see the price of LPG (propane) rise to the point it will be taxed like other fuels.

Taken from this site - http://www.ausindustry.gov.au/Energyand ... /home.aspx


Grant
Conversion Completed

$1,750
Between 1 July 2009 and 30 June 2010




$1,500
Between 1 July 2010 and 30 June 2011

$1,250
Between 1 July 2011 and 30 June 2012

$1,000
Between 1 July 2012 and 30 June 2013

$1,000
Between 1 July 2013 and 30 June 2014



2. New LPG Vehicles
For purchase of a new vehicle fitted with LPG before first registration:

Grant
Vehicle Purchase Completed

$2,000
Between 1 July 2009 and 30 June 2014

Trying to verify or get the correct information out of Govt Dept Aus Industry is like trying to squeeze water from a stone.

My LPG claim was submitted and a few days later a phone call advised me the information I used was not correct yet the mail response a few days later advised me of a different problem . So once again the Govt Dept Aus Industry has shown they have no idea how to deal with the general public and for that matter the people running the scheme have ZERO commonsense. I will once again make a complaint to the office of the Ombudsman.

Below is a copy of an email I have sent titled

"Hello and Welcome to uninformed bureaucracy."

Hi All,

Just reading this information again on the LPG rebate, see link below -

http://www.ausindustry.gov.au/Energy...ary%202010.pdf

and I still see our federal government has infomation about the LPG rebate that is not 100% true or as yet not been corrected so it is still missleading to many.



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I have converted my classic car or street rod to LPG, am I eligible to claim the grant?

You are not eligible to the claim the grant if the vehicle is authorised to travel on public roads in limited specified circumstances only.

What is a private use vehicle?

A vehicle for private use is:

registered as a vehicle for private/family use or

if registration regulations in your State/Territory don't differentiate between private use and other kinds



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Now I can tell you if you convert your Classic Car or Street Rod to LPG and it is registered for private use ( that is - not on a club permit scheme ) YOU CAN claim the LPG rebate. Many have done so will will keep doing so.

PS. Not a day has gone by since I have pointed this out that many a Classic Car or Street Rod owner how miss leading the information is and I have been happy to point out this mistake in the LPG guidelines. Clean fuel for all or as I like to say -

Help the Environment. Drive a Hot Rod. Vehicle Recycling Perfected.



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If you think one voice can not be heard, try sleeping with a Mosquito.
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