Government relations
National Electric Vehicle Strategy a missed opportunity
National Electric Vehicle Strategy a missed opportunity Wednesday, 19 April 2023 Today’s release of The National Electric Vehicle Strategy is a major step forward in the Government’s intent to achieve significant emissions abatement from the transport sector. But it is also a missed opportunity. Without explicit reference to low and zero emissions modes like e-bikes and light electric vehicles for freight, the Government has failed to acknowledge some of the most affordable and rapidly deployable forms of e-transport that are available now. With 19% of all emissions coming from the transport sector and 10% coming from private cars,…
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e-Bikes ride into Parliament
The Federal Parliamentary Friends of Cycling, with We Ride Australia, today launched the Friendship group for the 47th Parliament with an e-bike test and ride event on the lawns of Parliament House Canberra. The Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, the Hon. Patrick Gorman, launched the group with the group’s Co-Chairs the Member for Swan, Zaneta Mascarenhas MP (Labor), the Member for Fisher the Hon. Andrew Wallace MP (Coalition) and the independent Member for Indi, Dr Helen Haines MP. The event attracted MPs, Senators and key staff from all major parties along with several independents and showcased the latest e-bike…
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Meeting with members of the 47th Parliament
Stephen Hodge and Peter Bourke have been meeting with the new members of the 43rd Parliament. Meetings have been held with members of the Government. opposition, greens and the independents. Meetings with members or their staff have included: Members of the Government Minister for Transport – Catherine King Minister for the Environment and Climate Change – Chris Bowen Member for Swan – Zaneta Mascarenhas Members of the opposition Shadow Minister for Health – Anne Ruston Member for Fisher – Andrew Wallace Members of the Greens Member for Ryan – Elizabeth Watson-Brown Senator for Vic – Janet Rice Independent members Member…
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Does the Australian car lobby have bikes in its election platform?
The Election is due to be announced within days and Australia’s peak motoring group, the Australian Automobile Association (AAA), has published their Federal Election platform titled ‘A Plan to Greenlight Australia’s Recovery’. Its members, the state and territory car clubs, have 8.7 million members nationally making them a voice that governments listen to. Some surveys also show more than 10% of their members are cyclists which gives us a strong reason to talk to them. WeRide supports changes that mainstream bike riding as a key part of the transport mix. We have many positive relationships with these organisations which we…
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2022 federal Budget
The 2022-23 Budget announced by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg* on Tuesday night comes as the economy is showing signs of recovery driven by our resource sector, there is continuing concern for recovery from impacts of both COVID and recent floods, there is a significant focus on defence capabilities, and we have a federal election within weeks. Looking for good news in our area of active transport and the transition to a low carbon future was somewhat of a challenge, however there are a couple of good outcomes to talk about. The first is that the Amy Gillett Foundation’s proposals for national…
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Cycling’s $6.3billion contribution to the Australian Economy
Updated 22 October In an Australian first, a report spearheaded by We Ride Australia has found that cycling’s direct industry output as part of the Australian economy was $6.3 billion in 2020, which includes $3.4 billion direct value added to Australia’s GDP. The WeRide Australian Cycling Economy Report by Ernst & Young (EY) was launched by the Treasurer, the Hon. Josh Frydenberg MP from Parliament House in a virtual broadcast with Parliamentary cycling champions, Dave Sharma MP, Dr Hon. Andrew Leigh and Dr Helen Haines and supported by the international Cycling Executives community and a significant national audience. It revealed…
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The COVID dividend for cycling in cities
Updated 8/7/21 2020 was a year of enormous changes to work and transport in our cities and towns. The June Parliamentary Friends of Cycling event, hosted by WeRide, investigated the economic and transport benefits of the boom in cycling across the country. The presentations highlighted the substantial economic success of investments in pop-up bikeways and cycle lanes, the job creation as well as the efforts of major business and governments to offer active transport options to commuters who had ‘got back on the bike’ during lockdown – we called this the ‘COVID dividend.’ This is the role of WeRide –…
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Two Wheeled Tourism – transforming Australia’s regions
Members of Parliament front up for cycling in Parliament at the first event for the Parliamentary Friends of Cycling in 2021* Updated 9/4/21 The first event of the Parliamentary Friends of Cycling for 2021 was held in Parliament House, Canberra on Tuesday 16 February. Organised and led by We Ride Australia, the Friends of Cycling event focused on the regional economic benefits of cycle tourism as a key economic recovery opportunity. The Tumbarumba to Rosewood Rail Trail was featured in presentations and a new video has just been launched with local business owners talking about the benefits for their community….
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Parliamentary Friends of Cycling holds inaugural event in Canberra
Updated 2 September 2021 The inaugural event to launch the Parliamentary Friends of Cycling took place this morning outside Parliament House. We Ride introduced MPs, Senators and their staff to e-Bikes, e-cargo bikes, folding e-bikes, e-Postie bikes and e-mountain bikes. Co-Chairs Dave Sharma MP, Hon. Dr Andrew Leigh MP and Dr Helen Haines MP welcomed their colleagues in an engaging, informal experience with a range of e-Bikes on hand to look at and try around Federation Mall. In addition to the bikes on show, WeRide’s Peter Bourke outlined the boom in sales globally and in Australia resulting from the adoption…
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Bicycles ride the wave into Parliament
We Ride Australia is excited to announce the establishment of Parliamentary Friends of Cycling – the culmination of more than a decade of federal advocacy by We Ride. The Friendship group marks a coming of age for bicycle riding in federal Parliamentary circles. An initiative of We Ride Australia’s Stephen Hodge and Dave Sharma, the Member for Wentworth (Liberal), the group will be Co-Chaired by Dave Sharma, Dr Andrew Leigh, the Member for Fenner (Labor) and Dr Helen Haines, the Member for Indi (independent). A further nineteen Parliamentarians signed up within hours to support the group’s establishment. At a time…
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