Simon Kennedy (Cook, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

At a recent listening post in my community, I met Harper, who read me a letter I would like to read here today:

Good morning, Mr. Kennedy. My name is Harper, and I am 11 years old.

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. I would like to briefly share my concerns about the dangers of e-bikes and why I believe stronger safety rules are urgently needed.

Although e-bikes may look like regular bicycles, they can reach high speeds very quickly. This creates a much higher risk of serious accidents, especially for younger or inexperienced drivers. One tragic example has affected me personally: a close friend of mine recently lost one of her friends in an e-bike crash. The rider was thrown from the bike at a very high speed—around 80 kilometres per hour—and collided with a pole. The rider didn't survive. Since then, I have been doing my best to support my friend as she grieves, and it has shown me how devastating these accidents can be for families and communities.

These incidents are not isolated. Many riders do not fully understand how powerful e-bikes are or how easily control can be lost when accelerating, turning suddenly, or facing unexpected obstacles. Some riders also fail to follow traffic rules, increasing the danger to everyone around them.

For these reasons, I believe we need clearer and stricter safety measures, such as mandatory helmets for all riders, appropriate age limits for high-powered e-bikes, and better education on traffic laws. Stronger rules would help prevent tragedies like the one my friend is going through and create a safer environment for everyone.

Thank you again, Mr. Kennedy, for listening to my concerns. I truly appreciate your time and attention.

Because of Harper and many others like her, the New South Wales government has now announced a major crackdown on illegal e-bikes. But unfortunately for Harper and Harper's associate, it is far too late. Countless people have been horrendously injured. Countless families have spent tens of thousands of dollars on illegal bikes all because the New South Wales government failed to act. It wasn't just their failure to act. Catherine King here in federal parliament has allowed the importation of these bikes. I've written to Catherine twice about this and never received a response.

See this speech in context