The Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into motorcycle & scooter safety has finished it's public hearings in Melbourne. Regional hearings will be held in Ballarat, Bairnesdale and elsewhere across the state. For details keep an eye on:
I found the three days of the Inquiry both productive and exhausting. The Road Safety Committee (RSC) is made up of five Members of Partliament.
Murray Thompson MP. RSC Chair. Liberal. Lower House. Sandringham. Tel: 03 9598 2688.
Telmo Languiller MP. RSC Deputy Chair. Labor. Lower House. Sunshine West. Tel: 03 9311 7886.
Andrew Elsbury MP. Liberal. Upper House. Keilor. Tel: 03 9331 7644. (recently obtained a motorcycle learner's permit)
Jude Perera MP. Labor. Lower House. Cranbourne. Tel: 03 5996 2901.
Bill Tilley MP. Liberal. Lower House. Wodonga. Tel: 02 6024 4488. (a rider who owned 5 big Hondas)
The RSC was was receptive and interested. They accepted a wide range of ideas about motorcycling and asked intelligent questions.
The TAC antibike tax was raised by several organisations and individuals.
The Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC) came out strongly against the TAC tax.
VACC lobbying against levy
Thursday, 20 October 2011 13:10 | 
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VACC is calling for the 'motorcycle safety levy' to be scrapped, in an address to the Road Safety Committee (RSC), Parliamentary Inquiry into Motorcycle Safety in Victoria.VACC’s submission to minister for roads and public transport, Terry Mulder, states that the levy is unfair on motorcycle and scooter riders and that if the levy is not withdrawn it should be used to tackle specific issues faced by owners of powered two-wheeled vehicles.
Motorcycle and scooter owners pay an extra $63.80 in addition to their annual vehicle registration payment to VicRoads
VACC’s submission, on behalf of its motorcycle industry division, recommends that the funds collected by the motorcycle safety levy should be committed to dedicated powered two-wheeler projects.
“All too often, funds collected by the levy are absorbed into general road improvement schemes which all road users benefit from. In our view, if motorcycle and scooter riders have to pay a motorcycle safety levy, the money should be used for motorcycle and scooter projects only,” VACC executive director, David Purchase, said.
“VACC is calling for the levy to be scrapped. However, if VicRoads continues to collect the levy, at the very least, the fees should go towards motorcycle and scooter specific initiatives. We will recommend to the Parliamentary Committee that if fees continue to be collected, they are allocated to some of the following projects:
+ The establishment of a motorcycle and scooter 'centre of excellence' to cater for on-road and off-road learner riders
+ The introduction of competency-based training covering all categories of motorcycles, scooters and all-terrain-vehicles (ATVs)
+ The introduction of a mandatory annual five-point safety check for all powered two wheeled vehicles
+ Education on safety equipment and clothing
+ The immediate introduction of a six-month vehicle registration to meet the demands of seasonal riders
+ Funding for infrastructure and road projects to better consider and accommodate motorcycles and scooters
+ Access to circuits and off-road tracks and at reasonable rates.
The VACC recommendations look good to me. The only one I'm a bit iffy about is the mandatory annual five-point check for all powered two wheeled vehicles. I'd need some convincing about the mandatory. I've been riding motorcycles in the nanny state too long to be comfortable with a lot of things mandatory. Having said that, I'm really happy about the VACC's call to ABOLISH THE TAC ANTIBIKE TAX.
The new Victorian Motorcycle Advisory Group (VMAG) has only met once. As yet the TAC tax remains under VicRoads control, so you won't be surprised if our road authorities push projects that can't be construed as encouraging motorcycling.
The second VMAG meeting is in November.
Damien Codognotto OAM
Independent Riders Group
Melbourne
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