Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Quad bikes are dangerous, and governments need to do a better job of regulating them. In the first half of this year alone there have been seven quad bike deaths, including a child aged seven and another aged nine. Tragically, two deaths this year were in Tasmania, where there is no legislation for quad bikes on private property and nothing to stop children from riding quad bikes despite the simple fact that kids and quad bikes don't mix. The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons has called for a ban on quad bikes under any circumstances for all children under 16 because, to quote a well-regarded paediatric surgeon, 'kids lack both the cognitive ability and the physical strength and size to ride a quad bike safety'. Relevant is the US state of Massachusetts, where they banned children under 13 from riding all-terrain vehicles and required 14- to 17-year-olds to be supervised by an adult. The result? Emergency department presentations decreased by as much as 50 per cent for some age groups.

Despite all this, though, the Tasmanian government is dithering until after the ACCC deliver their final report on this matter later this year. Frankly, that is not good enough. We know what needs to be done, and further delaying reform will just see more lives lost and ruined, including those of children.

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