South Perth’s June 2024 decision was to investigate public EV charging locations and funding models—not to approve a network or install chargers. Victoria Park’s separate 2024 dispute concerned fire-safety concerns and whether the Town had made its assessment public. Town minutes record that an on-site assessment was performed; the ratepayers association disputed the Town’s handling and disclosure. Neither episode establishes that all Victoria Park residents opposed EV charging.
By January 2026, both councils were among five Perth inner-city councils exploring streetlight charging through a feasibility study and potential trial. That announcement describes a proposal, not chargers already available to residents.
What South Perth decided about public EV charging
At its 25 June 2024 meeting, South Perth Council asked the CEO to investigate allowing EV charging stations at key City-managed off-street parking destinations. It also asked for options to make provision cost-neutral or revenue-positive, with users paying electricity costs, and requested feedback by December 2024. The agenda considered both council provision and third-party contracts; it noted that public charging and power provision were generally in the private sector. The July news report described the motion as unanimously supported.
Councillor Mary Choy identified council-managed kerbside space and off-street car parks as possible locations for publicly available charging. The decision was an instruction to investigate, not evidence that chargers were installed or that the requested report was delivered. The available sources do not establish what happened after the deadline.
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What happened in Victoria Park’s fire-risk dispute
The dispute arose over the Town’s EV charger in the administration building basement. In response to a public question, Town minutes from 16 July 2024 recorded that officers had undertaken an on-site assessment before proceeding, sought and acted on feedback from Town contractors, arranged an inspection by Kensington DFES officers, and consulted the charger installer. The Town said it made changes including gate access and a manual override.
The minutes also record that LGIS later inspected the charger. According to the Town’s account, LGIS considered fire associated with newer EVs such as those bought by the Town “potentially very unlikely” and did not require modifications to the existing charger. Acting chief executive Duncan Olde was quoted in the July 2024 report describing the assessment as finding charging EVs presented “a very low risk.” These are statements about the Town’s specific vehicles, charger and setting—not a general estimate of EV fire probability or a guarantee that fires cannot occur.
Why the assessment became contentious
Victoria Park Ratepayers Association representative Vince Maxwell told PerthNow that the risk assessment had not been made available because “it did not exist.” The report also recorded the Town’s position that the information reported about it was not incorrect. The minutes’ account that an on-site assessment took place means the disagreement should be understood as a dispute about what assessment existed, what it covered and whether it was disclosed—not as a settled finding that no assessment was performed.
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The documents do not establish that Victoria Park residents generally opposed chargers. They record concerns voiced by an association representative, not a representative survey or a comparison of local attitudes.
Does the local record show EV charging is a fire risk?
It documents a site-specific safety review and disagreement about its transparency. It does not provide a comparative study of EV and petrol-vehicle fire rates, or an independent estimate of fire probability for chargers across either council area. The Town’s quoted assessment should therefore be read narrowly: it concerned the newer EVs the Town had purchased and the basement charging arrangement described in its minutes.
For broader context, a July 2024 PerthNow report relayed EVFireSafe figures of 511 verified EV battery fires globally since 2010, as of 30 June 2024. It also said testimony to a 2023 inquiry described six EV battery fires in Australia with external initiating factors, none spontaneous or occurring while charging. Those are historical figures attributed to EVFireSafe via PerthNow, not a current count or a comprehensive fire-risk comparison.
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In a separate Australian context, a Victorian parliamentary committee’s 3 June 2026 inquiry summary lists fire safety and charging infrastructure among the issues it considered, and reports 109 findings and 40 recommendations. That inquiry is not evidence of public opinion or local fire risk in Western Australia.
What changed: a regional streetlight-charging study
On 20 January 2026, the City of Vincent said the Perth Inner City Group had agreed to explore streetlight vehicle charging for households without off-street parking. South Perth and Victoria Park were named among five participating councils. The feasibility study and potential trial were to be undertaken with Western Power and private-sector partners after an MOU was signed the previous month. EVX was identified as the charging operator providing technical and operational advice.
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- HARDWIRED - PROFESSIONAL INSTALL: This Level 2 charger is hardwired (not plug-in), so a licensed electrician installs it per National Electrical Code. It delivers up to 48A on a dedicated 60A, 240V circuit - enough to charge most EVs fully overnight. Want more speed? You can set DIP switches 4 and 5 to unlock 50A on a dedicated 70A circuit. Before ordering, check your car's port type and that your electrical panel can support the circuit.
- CONTROL FROM YOUR PHONE: A stronger built-in antenna keeps the charger online even in a garage or basement. Use the free app to start and stop charging, set the charging speed (6-48A), get reminders, and track how much energy and money each charge uses. Requires a 2.4 GHz home WiFi network.
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- GLOW-IN-THE-DARK HOLSTER: The included high-visibility holster glows in the dark so you can find and dock the plug easily at night. Holds the connector securely when not in use.
What statewide EV figures can—and cannot—tell local drivers
The Western Australian Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure reported 63,241 light EVs licensed in the state in the June 2026 quarter: 48,109 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and 15,132 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in its headline breakdown. EVs accounted for 24% of new light-vehicle licences in Q2 2026. The department reported EV growth of 19.9% in Q2, compared with 12.2% in Q1 2026.
These are statewide figures, not counts for South Perth or Victoria Park, and they cannot show which council area has more EVs or how residents feel about charging infrastructure. The department defines EV data to include BEVs, PHEVs or fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs); the cited 63,241 headline breakdown lists BEVs and PHEVs.
What drivers without off-street parking should expect
Streetlight charging is being explored because households without a driveway or other off-street space can have fewer convenient charging options. The regional announcement is a feasibility process, however, not a promise of a particular installation, charging speed, price or rollout date. Drivers should not treat it as an available local service until the participating councils announce an operational site.
When councils assess public charging options, practical questions include where chargers can be accessed, equipment and charging speed, who installs and maintains them, and how installation, electricity and operating costs are paid. South Perth’s 2024 agenda specifically raised third-party arrangements and cost models, but the sources do not show that either council has selected a model.
Quick Recap
Sources
- PerthNow, 25 July 2024: report on the councils, Victoria Park fire-risk concerns and the competing accounts of the assessment.
- City of South Perth, 25 June 2024 council agenda.
- Town of Victoria Park, ordinary council meeting minutes, 16 July 2024.
- City of Vincent, 20 January 2026: inner-city councils explore streetlight EV charging.
- Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure, Western Australia: electric vehicle data, June 2026 quarter.
- Parliament of Victoria, 3 June 2026: EV inquiry report summary.
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