The news of more tragic deaths of children riding what have been described as e-bikes in Queensland in recent weeks signals it is well beyond time to seriously address this issue.

The increasing number of reports and stories clearly highlight that there are too many deaths and serious injuries, but they also highlight that safe and road legal e-bikes are not the problem.

The vast majority of incidents do not concern e-bikes, they are much more likely to be unroadworthy motorbikes, masquerading as e-bikes.

Sunday night’s 60 Minutes report on Channel 9 did a good job of exposing the issues. WeRide’s Peter Bourke was interviewed in his role as General Manager of Bicycle Industries Australia, and we have released our comments on the report here.

Peter Bourke is interviewed by Amelia Adams for the 60 Minutes report.

The Australian Government can fix this with simple regulation.

It is a crisis we have seen coming. The definitions and rules were changed in 2021 when the Department of Infrastructure and Transport replaced the recognised international standard with a short list of requirements for imports of e-bikes to be considered ‘compliant.’

The new requirements included that the motor must cut out at a maximum speed of 25kph, or if the rider stops pedalling, but did not include ‘anti-tampering’ requirements as is the case in leading jurisdictions around the world. Anti-tampering prevents users from changing the settings to allow higher speeds or power.

Above: Bicycle NSW CEO, Peter Mclean demonstrates various legal and non-legal e-bikes to host, Amelia Adams.

The mandatory import advisory notice (or application) was also ditched for a voluntary process. If the e-bikes being imported do not meet the requirements, which would result in the shipment being refused entry into the country, the importer can choose to bring them into the country without lodging any statement of compliance at all!

We are now seeing the results of these changes. A ‘free-for-all’ selling bonanza of machines that can be ‘unlocked’ with simple software codes to allow users to reach high speeds. Many are young riders, physically and socially ill-equipped to handle what is essentially an electric motorbike.

The tragedy is that with so many children now demanding these bikes, parents are the unwitting partners in providing dangerous machines for their children with the tragic results we are now witnessing in many parts of the country. These accidents are not only impacting young riders, but also the community around them including vulnerable pedestrians and other path users.

We have written to relevant Ministers several times, both the Coalition minister at the time of the changes and the current Transport Minister, most recently in August this year on behalf of Australian bicycle organisations.

We asked for support to re-introduce a compliance regime that both referenced the leading international safety standard and re-introduced a mandatory statement that all imported machines meet those standards.

Standards compliant e-bikes are experiencing a global wave of popularity – providing affordable, healthy and safe mobility for everyday trips.

The Minister’s response has been that the regulation of e-bikes is a state and territory responsibility, including regulating and enforcing speed limits and other requirements – presumably power – in public places.

These poor quality and unsafe products should be completely stopped from entering the country.

Interestingly, the current Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, the Hon. Catherine King MP was originally responsible for the introduction of the international safety standard as Parliamentary Secretary in 2012 – still global best practice.

This change would provide an immediate and clear avenue to hold importers and retailers to account for any non-compliant bikes they sell. No more ‘sly’ offers from the bike shop or online seller to sign a waiver or tamper with the settings ‘if you just want to use the bike on private property.’

State governments have also raised concerns. The Victorian and NSW State Transport Ministers wrote a joint letter in July to Assistant Treasurer Daniel Molino copying Transport Minister King and the Treasurer to ask for a federal response to the import of dangerous e-mobility devices and e-bikes.

Western Australia’s Transport Minister, Rita Safiotti, raised her concerns at the last Infrastructure and Transport Ministers Meeting (ITMM) on 11 August, with Minister King and the Ministers achieving consensus that a response was needed. WA was charged with leading the work on the response that will be tabled at the next ITMM meeting this month.

To her credit, the Member for Mackellar, Dr Sophie Scamps, led legislative action in Parliament tabling her Road Vehicle Standards Amendment (Safer E-Bikes) Bill 2025 on the 1st of September, which we were pleased to assist her with.

Confusion reigns as state and territory governments struggle to fill the void left by a lack of federal leadership and the appropriate federal import safety regulations on what defines a safe e-bike.

Safe, compliant e-bikes are a fantastic transport solution, providing a real option for active, healthy mobility for the daily transport needs of many Australians.

The research is clear! Many more Australians want to ride. We just need to ensure the products coming into our country are safe and meet the quality standards we all deserve.

Let’s keep our kids and everyone safe while riding bikes, let’s go back to a sensible federally mandated position on e-bikes and let’s continue to enjoy the ride!

More information:

Images

  • Images from the Channel 9 report on 60 Minutes are screen shots from the report video.
  • The image of e-bikes crossing a bridge supplied by Bosch Australia.