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

Today I want to share a powerful message from a young 11-year-old in my electorate, Harper. Harper came to see me last Thursday at one of my listening posts and approached me out of real concern for young people in my community—young people on e-bikes. Harper strongly believes safety rules are urgently needed. Although they might look like bicycles, e-bikes can vary and reach high speeds very quickly. As Harper puts it, riding some of these bikes 'is like a death wish.' They can create a much higher risk of serious accidents, especially for younger and inexperienced riders.

Harper told me about a tragedy that struck very close to her. A close friend recently lost one of her friends in an e-bike crash. The rider was thrown from the bike at around 80 kilometres per hour and collided with a pole. They did not survive. Harper has been supporting her friend as she grieves, and she's seen how devastating these accidents can be for families and communities. She wrote to me that these incidents are not isolated and many riders don't fully appreciate how powerful e-bikes are or how easily they can lose control of them. Some don't follow traffic rules, putting others at risk. Harper is calling for clearer, stricter safety measures. If an 11-year-old in my electorate can see this, I ask the infrastructure minister and our state premiers to recognise it, too.