Nicolette Boele (Bradfield, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I second the motion. I rise to support the Road Vehicle Standards Amendment (Safer E-Bikes) Bill 2025, moved by the member for Mackellar.

Across our cities and suburbs, more Australians are choosing e-bikes. They are often a practical, affordable and sustainable alternative to commuting while providing that little bit of incidental exercise on the way to school or work. But as technology has advanced, delivering greater speed and power, our import and safety standards have failed to keep up. Even bikes with speed and power limits on them are easily modified. A recent Transport for NSW study found that 38 per cent of riders had tampered with their bikes, a figure rising to 57 per cent among 18- to 29-year-olds.

This bill is not about cracking down on e-bikes. I love them, and I wish more people used them. It's about ensuring that the roughly 260,000—and growing—e-bikes imported to Australia each year meet national import standards and are equipped with basic safety designs and antitampering protections. That's it. The Road Vehicle Standards Amendment (Safer E-Bikes) Bill 2025 does this.

I want to reiterate that this bill is not about curbing the use of e-bikes. This bill simply brings e-bikes into line with safety expectations and clarifies ambiguity surrounding their usage. Implementing this will prevent countless injuries and, no doubt, save lives. I commend the member for Mackellar for bringing this legislation forward, and I commend the bill to the House.

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