PERTH, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Australia will review its standards and testing procedures for vehicle emissions, the government said on Saturday, after media reports said the recent scandal involving Volkswagen cars highlighted the country's relatively lax standards.
In a joint statement, the environment, major projects and energy ministers said they would set up a working group aimed at reducing harmful vehicle emissions and increasing fuel efficiency in cars sold in Australia.
The move comes after media reports following the Volkswagen scandal said Australia's standards for vehicle emissions were lower than in other developed nations, largely due to attempts to cut costs for the local car manufacturing industry which has been unable to compete with imports and will cease production entirely in 2017.
Volkswagen is embroiled in a global recall scandal after tests showed that thousands of vehicles had been fitted with devices designed to mask the level of emissions. (Reporting by Morag MacKinnon; Editing by Miral Fahmy)