Sophie Scamps (Mackellar, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the bill be now read a second time.

Today I introduce the Road Vehicle Standards Amendment (Safer E-Bikes) Bill 2025 to ensure e-bikes are fit for purpose and safe in terms of international safety standards and speed capability.

E-bikes have transformed the way Australians move around our cities and suburbs—and they have been taken up with particular eagerness in my electorate of Mackellar on the northern beaches of Sydney.

They are a vital part of the shift to cleaner, more active transport and have provided greater transport independence for many thousands of people—especially those without a licence.

But the technology has raced ahead of our safety and import regulations so that now we frequently have e-bikes that are more like motorbikes than bicycles being used on our roads and our footpaths.

This situation has caused deep concern across our communities for the safety of both riders and pedestrians.

Parents, pedestrians, state politicians, trauma surgeons and even police are all calling for leadership from the federal government to address these pressing safety concerns.

The major regulatory failing at the federal level is that, when e-bikes are being imported into Australia, they do not have to meet any mandatory safety or quality standards because they are not considered road vehicles under the Road Vehicle Standards Act.

It is this issue that my safer e-bikes bill seeks to solve.

I recently hosted a community forum on ebikes with the state Independent member for Pittwater, Jacqui Scruby, where we heard directly from local community members, trauma surgeons and transport exports about the alarming rise in injuries and enforcement challenges linked to illegal and noncompliant ebikes.

Data on injuries caused by ebikes is scant, but research from St Vincent's Hospital Sydney found that over a two-year period from 2023, 500 e-bike riders required critical care in New South Wales emergency departments.

These injuries are often severe, including head trauma, spinal injuries and fractures.

While some of these injuries were influenced by alcohol use or insufficient infrastructure to protect cyclists, many also involved modified or overpowered ebikes.

The failure to adequately regulate these bikes is a serious public safety issue.

As a doctor who worked in emergency departments for many years and on a neurosurgical award, I clearly understand the risk these overpowered and unregulated bikes pose and feel compelled to act before tragedy strikes again. Evidence presented to the parliament of New South Wales inquiry into the use of e-scooters, ebikes and related mobility options suggests that a divergence between federal and state regulations has led to confusion in the proliferation of noncompliant devices in the market, with retailers exploiting the gap between federal import standards and state road regulations.

This situation has also created significant challenges for enforcement agencies and confusion amongst consumers about what constitutes a legal device and what can be ridden without being licensed.

There is also broad support for reform from state politicians. The New South Wales, Queensland and Victorian transport ministers have all written to the federal government calling for national leadership on unsafe ebike imports and the establishment of national safety standards.

The cycling and e-mobility industry is also calling for change.

In a joint letter to the federal treasurer and the minister for infrastructure and transport, Bicycle Industries Australia, We Ride Australia and other leading organisations urged the government to reinstate ebikes under the Road Vehicle Standards Act and require compliance with international best practice safety standards such as EN15194.

The European standard outlines safety requirements for the design, assembly and testing of electrical power assisted cycles, or EPACs for short.

The industry has also made it clear: they want clarity, consistency and safety.

This is what this bill responds to.

It defines EPACs as road vehicles under the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 and requires the minister for infrastructure and transport to develop a national standard for EPACs, addressing:

Importantly, EPACs that meet this new national standard or are designed for people with disability or off-road use will be exempt from regulation under the act.

The bill also calls for a new vehicle class called 'powerful ebikes' and defines them as road vehicles under the Road Vehicle Standards Act, providing the relevant department with the authority to oversee the importation of these bikes.

It also requires the minister to create a national road vehicle standard for powerful ebikes.

This addresses the rapid proliferation of overpowered ebikes, including 'fat bikes' that operate exclusively via throttle without requiring pedalling and which can reach speeds of 50 kilometres per hour and above.

Ebikes are a wonderful innovation that will play an increasingly important role in Australia's clean transport future.

Transport is currently the third-largest carbon-emitting sector in Australia and is on track to become the highest source of emissions by 2030.

According to the Climate Council more than two million car trips in Sydney each day are under two kilometres, and in Melbourne half of all weekday trips are under five kilometres. These are distances that could easily be covered by ebikes.

We just need to make them safe to use for both riders and pedestrians.

Shifting from car use to active transport and e-mobility on trips like these will help reduce emissions, improve public health, connect people to public transport hubs and make our communities more livable.

E-bikes also make cycling accessible to more people—older Australians, people with injuries, those like me who live in hilly areas and those who might not otherwise ride.

They are a gateway to healthier, more active lives, but they must be made safe for the entire community.

This bill responds to widespread calls from parents, pedestrians, trauma surgeons and state governments for national safety and import standards for e-bikes.

While states and territories are responsible for setting speed limits and writing regulations on our roads and footpaths, the federal government also has a clear role to play in regulating and supporting safe e-bikes by ensuring that e-bikes imported into this country are safe, compliant and fit for purpose, as this bill does.

This bill is about protecting riders, pedestrians and drivers—and making our community safe for everyone.

And it is about supporting the growth of a sustainable transport mode that can help us meet our climate goals, reduce congestion and improve public health.

I commend this bill to the House and cede the remainder of my time to the member for Bradfield.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Nicolette Boele (Bradfield, Independent) Share this | Link to 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.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has now expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.