Chris Trevor (Flynn, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Late last year I had the pleasure of meeting with leaders of the Australian motorcycle community: Shaun Lennard of the Australian Motorcycle Council and motorcycling author Greg Hirst. Shaun and Greg had been in parliament meeting with a number of members and senators from both sides of the houses. I found it personally encouraging to hear the stories of a number of members and senators who shared my passion for motorcycling. Last year we gathered together as a group to assist in raising the profile of the positive aspects of motorcycling in a bipartisan manner.

I started riding motorbikes at age 13. My first bike was a Suzuki TM75 motocross bike. I graduated to a Honda TL125 trail bike, then to a YZ125 motocross bike, then to a Honda XL250 road bike and then, in recent years, back to a KX250 motocross bike, which I raced on a motocross track south of Gladstone. These days I am the proud owner of a Harley-Davidson Softail with a Fat Boy conversion kit. I have ridden motorbikes now on and off for over 30 years.

It is ironic that, at the same time as many people retain outdated prejudices towards motorcycling, everyone has a brother, sister, parent, friend or work colleague who rides a motorcycle or scooter. In recent years, motorcycling in Australia has undergone massive growth in popularity, with the total number of registered motorcycles in the country now well in excess of 500,000. More than twice that number of Australians hold a motorcycle licence.

More and more people are taking to motorcycling for a variety of reasons—as a leisure activity, for long-distance touring or for commuting as traffic congestion increases and to combat rising fuel prices. There have also been a growing number of female riders over the past 10 years, with over one in five learner riders being female. Those Australians who choose to commute by motorcycle or scooter are contributing in a positive way to the endeavours of all of us to protect the environment by reducing carbon emissions.

As I understand it, the government has co-hosted the first Motorcycle and Scooter Safety Summit. Again, as I understand it, the Australian Motorcycle Council and the FCAI are working in close conjunction with the government’s Motorcycle Safety Consultative Committee. Governments from across all OECD countries are now recognising motorcycles as an essential and core element of the overall road transport mix. One of the key recommendations from the OECD workshop was to ensure that motorcycles are integrated into all transport planning, and I encourage my government to do this. I congratulate the Australian Motorcycle Council, its member organisations across the country and Shaun and Greg for their excellent work in promoting the environmental benefits of motorcycling while continuing to promote road safety.

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