Natalie Ward
Shadow Minister for Transport
The Minns Labor Government's own report has once again confirmed identification is essential if you are serious about enforcing e-bike laws, exposing Labor's continued refusal to act and protect the community.
The NSW Liberals and Nationals are calling on Labor to deliver an effective identification scheme after the Productivity and Equality Commission's report reiterated concerns a lack of identification makes it harder to identify riders and devices, enforce rules and ensure accountability.
Shadow Minister for Transport Natalie Ward said the report reinforces what the Opposition has been saying for months.
"The Commission says identification makes non-compliant e-bikes 'easier to detect and enforce against'. That reinforces the Opposition's call for a proper identification regime," Ms Ward said.
"Labor has spent months dismissing identification and registration while announcing reviews, taskforces and crackdowns."
"The Minns Labor Government should now act on the review it commissioned and deliver the identification scheme which the Opposition put forward almost a year ago."
Ms Ward said the report also cites identification and registration schemes operating in Germany, China, and France.
"Identification is being used as an enforcement tool globally. NSW Labor can't keep pretending identification is some radical proposition," Ms Ward said.
"This isn't about punishing the overwhelming majority of people who ride responsibly. It's about giving police and enforcement authorities the tools to identify illegal e-bikes and riders, and deal with dangerous behaviour."
The NSW Liberals and Nationals have proposed a clear and practical regime to introduce low-cost identification plates attached to an e-bike when in use for specific rider cohort, including:
- Riders under the age of 18;
- Riders who use e-bike for commercial purposes; and
- Commercial shared service schemes.
The policy also includes penalties for non-compliance and safety education.
