The Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA) is urging the Federal Government to treat connected vehicles as a national security issue. It warns that foreign-controlled vehicle data and increasingly sophisticated in-car technology could expose sensitive government facilities, critical infrastructure and strategic transport networks. In a policy submission approved by its board and delivered to the Federal Government this week, AEVA argues Australia has fallen behind other major automotive markets by failing to introduce mandatory cybersecurity requirements for connected vehicles. The Association says modern vehicles equipped with cabin cameras, microphones and telematics systems are capable of collecting extensive data, effectively turning them into "rolling sensor platforms" that could capture sensitive imagery or operational information near defence sites, critical infrastructure and strategic transport corridors. According to AEVA, Australia relies on outdated privacy legislation from the 1980s and voluntary manufacturer practices to govern vehicle cybersecurity, unlike Europe and China, where dedicated regulations apply specifically to connected vehicles. Among its policy recommendations is a formal government assessment of the national security implications of vehicle-generated data, including information that could reveal the location or operation of sensitive government facilities, public charging infrastructure and other strategically important assets. The submission points to Europe's regulatory model, which links cybersecurity compliance directly to vehicle market access while encouraging on-device data processing wherever possible. It also references aspects of China's framework, which requires sensitive data – including vehicle movement information and biometric data – to be stored domestically and assessed before leaving the country. While AEVA stops short of advocating Australia's adoption of China's broader security approach, it argues some of its data governance mechanisms make sense. Central to the submission is a call for mandatory adoption of the United Nations UNECE R155 and R156 cybersecurity standards. If implemented, manufacturers would be legally required to incorporate cybersecurity protections into vehicle