The Hodgman Liberal Government's 2019-20 Budget initiatives to improve quad bike safety for Tasmanians has been broadly welcomed by the state’s agriculture industry.
The 2019-20 Budget includes a $700,000 package of measures to improve quad bike safety, including a 12-month, $500,000 rebate scheme for the fitting of approved rollover or crush protection devices to farmers’ quad bikes from 1 July 2019.
This will allow farmers to receive a rebate of up to 50 per cent of the purchase price (to a maximum of $500 per device and $1000 for each eligible farm workplace) for an approved rollover or crush protection device.
To date there have been 11 quad bike related deaths in Tasmania between 2011 and 2019, which is one of the leading causes of death and injury on Australian farms.
In addition to fitting rollover and crush protection devices, we will also develop a public awareness and education campaign specifically designed to keep children safe around quad bikes.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is continuing its work to introduce quad bike design improvements and safety rating system to reduce the number of serious deaths and injuries caused by quad bikes. The Hodgman Liberal Government will continue to participate in this work to further inform better safety rules and regulations, and to work towards a national safety standard.
Our announcement takes affirmative action to put protection measures in place before the ACCC is set to deliver its findings later this year.
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