A major event has been delivered by WeRide in federal Parliament on the economic and social benefits of investing in active transport infrastructure.

Hosted by the Friends of Cycling group, also an initiative of WeRide, at least 20 MPs and Senators responded to our invitation or simply turned up on the day to hear from our keynote speakers, Convenors of the Friends group and our star MC, Osher Gunsberg, also a member of the WeRide Board.

Parliamentary Friends of Cycling Convenors Hon Andrew Wallace MP, Osher Gunsberg, Zaneta Mascarenhas MP & Dr Helen Haines MP.

The CEO of Infrastructure Victoria, Dr Jonathan Spear, spoke first on the economic return when cities and regional centres invest to make the choice to ride a bike easier, more convenient and safer. He outlined their nationally leading research on the latent demand, costs and benefits of investment.

Sunshine Coast Mayor, Rosanna Natoli, expertly presented the enormous pressures on their fast-growing community, the need to provide links to local activity centres and the success of their investments to get more children cycling to school.

This includes the nationally and globally recognised riding and scooting to school program, RideScore Active Schools, which is a partnership with We Ride Australia.

L-R: WeRide’s Stephen Hodge, Dr Jonathan Spear, Mayor Rosanna Natoli, WeRide Chair Shane Byrne, Director Osher Gunsberg & WeRide’s Peter Bourke.

The Sunshine Coast’s task also has a very clear and urgent aspect as they must be ready for the huge influx of spectators that will attend the Brisbane Olympics in less than six years! The Mayor says ‘the time is NOW!’ to get the active and public transport investment in place and create a legacy for their future liveability.

Our sincere thanks go to both Mayor Natoli and Dr Spear for supporting WeRide’s nationally significant work in Parliament with their engaging and expert presentations. See more details below.

The Convenors of the Friends of Cycling group also did an amazing job of encouraging the most MPs and Senators that have ever attended one of our cycling events in Parliament.

Event audience for Mayor Natoli and Dr Spear.

Our sincere thanks to the Member for Swan, Zaneta Mascarenhas, the Member for Fisher, the Hon. Andrew Wallace and the Member for Indi, Dr Helen Haines.

Close to fifty guests representing peak industry groups, business and advocacy groups also attended the event to hear from our speakers and show their support for active transport investment.

Mayor of the Sunshine Coast, Rosanna Natoli, speaks about the value of the Government’s $500 million active transport infrastructure commitment and the looming Brisbane Olympic Games which they have to be ready for!

We Ride Australia’s impact in Parliament is the result of two decades of investment by our members. This long-term investment provides a unique ability to bring cycling advocacy to the halls of Parliament and means we can count on the commitment of these three Members of Parliament and many others to help us present events such as the Active Transport Infrastructure Investment event held on Tuesday, 18 August. The event was designed to inform MPs of the opportunities created through the Australian Government’s Budget announcement of a $500 million Active Transport Fund, celebrated in our media post here.

Convenors, Zaneta Mascarenhas and Helen Haines with speakers, Dr Jonathan Spear and Mayor Rosanna Natoli with Osher Gunsberg in the middle, Hon Andrew Wallace and WeRide’s Stephen Hodge.

Videos of our key presentations