Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Cowper for moving this motion. He, too, is a keen motorcyclist. I speak on this motion with a degree of vested interest, as I have been riding motorbikes now for about 30 years and, as the member for Cowper has indicated, it is certainly a way of life and something we enjoy. I know the member for Gilmore also is a motorcyclist. There is something to be said for not simply watching the scenery but being part of it. Those who actually ride do fall into that category. So for me this is a very significant matter to bring to the parliament's attention.

I also just remind the parliament that in September this year there will be a further Wall to Wall Ride for Remembrance, which will be a ride for police officers around the country. It will take place from the Wall of Remembrance in Sydney at the Domain through to the Wall of Remembrance up here in Kings Park in Canberra. Just about every police commissioner together with a number of members from each of the jurisdictions participate. Last year I think over 1,000 bikes were part of that.

The issue about motorcycle safety is an important one to raise because there is an increasing number of motorcyclists on the road. The rate of registration of motorbikes and motor scooters in the last 12 months grew by 10 per cent. Between 2010 and 2011 the purchase of new bikes went up by 3.1 per cent. There is now in excess of 500,000 motorbikes or motor scooters on the road. Over the period that motorbike registrations grew by 3.1 per cent, car sales dropped 6.6 per cent.

I acknowledge that not everyone who gets on a motorbike or motor scooter might do it for the same reason as the member for Cowper and myself. A lot of people have taken the decision because perhaps it is more fashionable but it is also about affordability, fuel efficiency and, in our congested cities, it makes manoeuvring a lot easier and it is also easier to park. You would see on regular occasions going down Macquarie Street in Sydney or through our law courts area an extraordinary number of people who ride motor scooters either in dresses or suits and ties. It is starting to approach European proportions.

It was only a couple of years back that I, together with a MotoGP star, Chris Vermeulen, was involved with Motorcycling Australia in opening the Motorcycling Australia: Rider Safety program to decrease the number of motorcycle accidents on our roads. Whilst we might enjoy being part of the scenery, the truth is that on the roads it is dangerous. I know the issue that has been raised about wire ropes. I have raised that previously and I know that was something that was hotly discussed in a number of the bike organisations, including the Ulysses Club when I met with them. The road protection measures being installed are things that in a modern society, where we are seeing a growth of motorbikes and motor scooters, we must be conscious of. I understand the issue about the safety wires absorbing vehicle energy but if you are a motorcyclist that energy might be felt slightly differently than is felt by the fender of a modern vehicle. The truth of the matter is there is very little protection on motorcycles—a fact I keep trying to tell my sons. There is significantly less protection and stability than in cars and, as a result, motorcyclists are 23 times more likely to be killed per kilometre travelled than an occupant of a car. They are 41 times more likely to be involved in a serious accident. This is only a little part of the story. There is also the untold grief that is felt by families and loved ones.

Wearing appropriate safety equipment is something I have always tried to drum into my kids as well. Equipment such as gloves, pants, jackets and boots is essential. Unfortunately 23 per cent of motorcyclists in Australia admit they do not always follow safety guidelines, and that in itself is a big issue. If we are going to get out there and participate in two-wheeled sport or recreation, having the appropriate protective equipment is not an optional extra. It is absolutely essential because that gear really does save lives.

It is important for society as a whole to take a proactive role in reminding everybody that, while the roads are to be shared, there are some of us that are in a more dangerous position than others. It is important to look out for those more vulnerable road users, particularly motorcyclists and those riding motor scooters because, if something happens, they are certainly more likely to be worse off than the car involved. Simple gestures like giving motorcyclists a little bit more room or checking for motorcyclists when opening the car door or even looking for them in the rear-view mirror is not a bad way to start looking out for motorbikes because sometimes the difference between life and death is very slim.

Increased focus on motorcycle safety and awareness of motorcyclists on our roads, I believe, is essential in decreasing the alarming numbers of deaths and injuries to our motorcyclists. Deaths and injuries involving motorcycles are a lot more common, regrettably, than what they should be. Motorcyclists accounted for 16 per cent of our road fatalities in 2011. Those odds are not very good. Compared to other vehicles, motorcycle crashes obviously have a much higher severity rate. Motorcycle crashes represent 6.4 per cent of all crashes recorded but, as indicated, 16 per cent of all fatalities and 10.5 per cent of all persons injured.

We are not going to turn the clock back; we are not going to say that it is not wise to get on a motorbike. We are not going to be able to say that in our bigger and more congested cities that the two-wheel option is not a way to go. The appropriate way to go in a modern economy such as ours is to look at the integration of transport. Motorbikes and motor scooters are an integral part of that modern society. I spoke of people around Macquarie Street, Pitt Street and George Street in Sydney and—I imagine it is the same in Melbourne—in our congested cities the two-wheeled option is something that people are being very much attracted to. That trend will not be reversing. Our transport planners and road safety planners need now to take into account the two-wheel option, which is so readily available to people. Two wheels are more affordable and more fuel-efficient than four. In manoeuvrability and in the access to parking, motorcycles are second to none.

We need to have a concerted view on this. Our planners need to incorporate motorcycles and motorcycle safety into planning our road rules. I take on board the view of the member for Cowper about the wire rope safety barriers. I am not sure what the answer is to that, but there has to be a better solution than what exists at the moment. Whilst they may be an overall safety feature, they are pretty deleterious when it comes to an accident involving a motorcycle. But, once again, I do thank the member for Cowper for raising this. I think it shows his commitment to motorcycle safety, which I applaud—notwithstanding the fact that he rides a Ducati and I ride a Honda! I am sure we always stay well within the road rules, particularly the appropriate speeds, and I would recommend that to anybody who rides two wheels.

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