Tuesday 26 June 2012

THE LAST THURSDAY NITE RIDE INC WRB


ON RIDE  THIS WEEK

THURSDAY NIGHT FOR THE LAST TIME


·         We talk to Shaun Lennard, Chairman of the Australian Motorcycle Council about the apparent reductions in motorcycle fatalities

·         Greg Heatley from Nepean Raceway joins us in the studio to discuss the upcoming ‘King of Nepean’ meeting and the future of dirt track racing in Australia

·         We talk to Wayne Baffsky about his concerns over the new NSW consorting laws

·         We talk about Rides new Sunday evening timeslot and what will be on the first programme

·         And we look forward to Casey Stoners next Moto GP adventure and ask if he can solve his chattering problem – the bike not the wife?

·         Plus  lots of news, views and music from Australia and beyond

ON RIDE THIS SUNDAY        

·         We relive some of the fun and challenge of the Ride’s first year on Alive 90.5 including:

·         We reflect on the life and times of Marco Simoncelli with Ten Sports Daryl Beattie

·         Angry Anderson explains why he wears a white full face helmet

·         WSFM’s Brendan Jones raves about motorcycle television show called Temporary Australians

·         National MP  Luke Harstsuyker explains why he raised the issue of wire rope barriers in Federal Parliament. See what Luke told the Federal Parliament below.

·         Investigative Journalist Adam Shand talks about ‘Uneasy Riders’ recently aired on the SBS Insight Programme

·         Plus lots of other news, views and some great Aussie music.

TUNE IN in Sydney live on 90.5 FM and across Australia on www.alive905.comfrom 7pm -9pm EST on Sunday.                                                                                                                                                        

Please check out Facebook and if you like the programme don't forget to Like this page and recommend it to your friends.

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Friday 22 June 2012

CONGRATULATIONS 2



















































































MEDIA RELEASE

June 11  2012

The Independent Riders' Group (IRG) congratulates two Victorian motorcyclists who received awards in the mid-year honours list today.

DAVID HAWKER AO. David lives near Horsham in western Victoria. The family property is stunning and is steeped in Australian history. He was a member of the House of Representatives in our Federal Parliament and was Speaker of the House for many years. He rides farm bikes on the land and a Harley on the road. He has long been active in rider movements for safety and rights. He rode in lights-on protest rides in Canberra. After retiring from federal politics he took on the job of chairing Victoria's Motorcycle Advisory Group (VMAG). VMAG is the state's expert committee on motorcycle & scooter matters.

David was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the Parliament of Australia, to public administration and monetary policy reform and to the community through local government, health and sporting organisations.

Attached. David Hawker AO (right) with Damien Codognotto OAM and their bikes. 2012.

STUART STRICKLAND OAM. Stuart came to Melbourne from Tasmania and worked in the motorcycle industry. He was Managing Director of Honda MPE for decades. He has several motorcycles including a scooter for round town and a 1300cc sports bike. He is a Director of Motorcycling Australia, the body controlling motorcycle sport and has been nominated for a place on the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) Board. After retiring from Honda he took a seat on VMAG.

Stuart was awarded and Order of Australia Medal for service to the motorcycle industry through executive and professional roles.

Attached. Stuart Strickland OAM (left) at a lunch on the occasion of his retiring from Honda.

More information on the Order of Australia awards at:

www.damiencodognottooam.blogspot.com

Damien Codognotto OAM
Spokesman
Independent Riders' Group
Melbourne
Tel: 03 9846 8621

NEW TIME FOR RIDE


MEDIA AND RIDER ALERT


After a year on Thursday's at 10pm with a two hour motorcycle news and entertainment programme on Alive 90.5 FM in Sydney, national motorcycling identity Greg Hirst from Brotherhood Christian Motorcycle Club has been given a primetime spot on Sundays from July 1.

Starting at 7pm the show called Ride will continue it's national emphasis with interviews and news from riders across Australia during the two hour show which also features some great Aussie music.

This weekly programme reaches a national audience through Alive's website which broadcasts all its programmes online and can be heard from July 1 in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania at 7pm, South Australia, Broken Hill and the Northern Territory at 6.30pm and in Western Australia at 5pm.

Next Thursday night's programme will be the last before the move to Sundays and will feature the Chairman of the Australian Motorcycle Council Shaun Lennard talking about the recent reduction in motorcycle fatalities and Nepean Raceway's Greg Heatley, who will talk about the future of dirt track racing in Australia.

Last night's guests included former Howard Government Speaker David Hawker, who rang in from a back road in Central Victoria after his motorcycle broke down and Nick Cowdery, former NSW Director of Public Prosecutions, who is a fierce opponent of the various anti-association laws being used in Australia.
  
For further information or to contact Greg via:

www.greghirstenterprises.com.au

Tuesday 19 June 2012

RIDE


ON RIDE  THIS WEEK

·         We congratulate former Howard Government Speaker of the House of Representatives David Hawker for his Queens Birthday Honours and find out how his motorcycling life in Victoria is going

·         We also get an update on the activities of the Victorian Motorcycle Advisory Group that he chairs for Vic Roads

·         We catch up with former NSW Director of Public Prosecution Nicholas Cowdery and find out why he is campaigning publicly against the anti-association laws in Queensland

·         We talk about more bike troubles for Casey Stoner at the Moto GP at Silverstone

·         And we find out about the reducing number of motorcycle riding fatalities in Australia

·         Plus  lots of news, views and music from Australia and beyond

TUNE IN in Sydney live on 90.5 FM and across Australia on www.alive905.comfrom 10pm -Midnight EST on Thursday.                                                                                                                                                      

Please check out Facebook and if you like the programme don't forget to Like this page and recommend it to you friends.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/RIDE-on-2ccrfm-with-Greg-Hirst/265400733475447


Ride                                                                                                

What’s the next best thing to having some motorcycle fun? Listening to others who are having it as well!And you can do that on Thursdays for two hours from 10pm EST. on Alive FM 90.5 when national motorcycling identity Greg Hirst will entertain you with

      ·Humorous stories of a motorcycle nature

      ·Interviews with well known motorcycle riders

      ·Stories from Aussie motorcycle clubs about their positive activities

      ·Update of key some motorcycling issues

      ·News on local and national motorcycle events (especially for those listening online)

      ·Studio guests to talk about their personal motorcycling experiences

And lots of great Aussie rock, blues and alternate music, plus a little overseas stuff. So listen in every Thursday for some motorcycle radio fun: on radio in Sydney or online on www.alive905.comaround Australia.2CCR broadcasts all its programmes online and so Ridecan be heard in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania at 10pm,Qld at 10pm, South Australia and Broken Hill 9.30pm, the Northern Territory at 9.30pm and in Western Australia at 8pm.

                ·For more information contact Greg on

www.greghirstenterprises.com.au

 

DALE'S PHONE/DRIVE LINKS


 
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2012/06/12/306981_ntnews.html

https://mobile.twitter.com/Safe_Roads/status/211091428770721793


http://m.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/article_53c77dda-af90-11e1-8c9b-001a4bc887a.html

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2012/06/07/concord-police-recommend-charges-for-teen-driver-in-fatal-bikecrash/

http://www.wbur.org/2012/06/07/fatal-texting-crash
  
Dale Robert Maggs
Mob 0432 776 458
Independent Riders Group



Wednesday 13 June 2012

MA RIDERS DIVISION MEDIA RELEASE


Media Release                              
                           
12 June 2012

Rider’s Division of Motorcycling Australia calls for Parliamentary Inquiry into Transport Accident Act

The Australian Rider’s Division of Motorcycling Australia (MA) and rider representative groups are calling on Premier Baillieu and the Victorian Government to initiate a Parliamentary Inquiry to review the scope and administration of the Transport Accident Act 1986.

Such an inquiry is long overdue, and will serve as an invaluable tool for identifying the critical shortfalls and weaknesses in how road safety measures and campaigns are developed and delivered to Victorian road users.

In addition to reviewing the Transport Accident Act, the inquiry should examine the equity of compensation paid to motorcyclists compared to drivers involved in identical cases.

The call comes in response to the recent Transport Accident Commission (TAC) advertising campaign ‘Reconstruction’ aimed at motorcyclists, which
fails to promote shared road user safety whilst presenting negative and dangerous stereotypes.

Following the recent Parliamentary Inquiry into Motorcycle Safety, which shone the spotlight on the TAC and their practices relating to motorcycle safety, the recent campaign fuels existing concerns.

Rob Smith, Manager of the Australian Rider’s Division, says the failure of the TAC’s latest campaign highlights the need for an urgent inquiry into the Transport Accident Act.

“While we cannot condone speeding, we are shocked and entirely disappointed that motorcyclists are once again being portrayed as reckless road users, even though quite clearly the driver who fails to give way is not identified as being at fault,” Mr Smith said.

“The onus of blame attributed to the rider would not apply if another car was involved. Such discrimination by a no-fault state owned insurance company demands review.”

The Australian Rider’s Division and rider representative groups are also calling on Premier Baillieu and the Victorian Government to establish regulations that govern the content and ethics of Road Safety campaigns in order the prevent misrepresentation or vilification of any road user group.

For further information or a copy of the communique, please contact Rob Smith, Manager of the Australian Rider’s division, on (03) 9684 0501 or

riders@ma.org.au


RIDER RADIO


ON RIDE  THIS WEEK


·         We congratulate two Victorian Motorcyclists recognised in the recent Queens Birthday Honours List recently


·         We also pay tribute to Susan Walter from the Snowy Ride also honoured and her son Steven’s love for motorcycling


·         We talk John McMahon from MotoV8 in Victoria about his youth suicide prevention  programme and how motorcycling fits into this


·         We catch up with Peter Wells Director of Customer and Compliance for the Roads and Maritime Service in NSW about the controversial changes to the system for registering custom motorcycles and modified cars


·         We find out the latest about the new store opening for Sy’s Harley Davidson in South Western Sydney


·         Plus  lots of news, views and music from Australia and beyond


TUNE IN in Sydney live on 90.5 FM and across Australia on www.alive905.comfrom 10pm -Midnight EST on Thursday.                                                                                                                                                         


Please check out Facebook and if you like the programme don't forget to Like this page and recommend it to you friends.
         
http://www.facebook.com/pages/RIDE-on-2ccfm-with-Greg-Hirst/265400733475447

Ride                                                                                                 


What’s the next best thing to having some motorcycle fun? Listening to others who are having it as well!And you can do that on Thursdays for two hours from 10pm EDT. on Alive FM 90.5 when national motorcycling identity Greg Hirst will entertain you with


      ·Humorous stories of a motorcycle nature


      ·Interviews with well known motorcycle riders 


      ·Stories from Aussie motorcycle clubs about their positive activities


      ·Update of key some motorcycling issues


      ·News on local and national motorcycle events (especially for those listening     online)


      ·Studio guests to talk about their personal motorcycling experiences


And lots of great Aussie rock, blues and alternate music, plus a little overseas stuff. So listen in every Thursday for some motorcycle radio fun: on radio in Sydney or online on www.alive905fm.comaround Australia.2CCR broadcasts all its programmes online and so Ridecan be heard in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania at 10pm,Qld at 10pm, South Australia and Broken Hill 9.30pm, the Northern Territory at 9.30pm and in Western Australia at 8pm.


        ·For more information contact Greg on

www.greghirstenterprises.com

Tuesday 12 June 2012

TAC AD DISGRACE 16




Dear Reader.

The following letter to Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu was on Motorcycling Australia letterhead. It has been sent to media. It is published here with permission from the Manager of the Riders' Division, Rob Smith. It is supported by the major rider representative groups in Victoria. 

The letter protests the Transport Accident Commission's anti-motorcycle campaigns and calls for the legislation that set up the TAC to be reviewed and changed so that TAC bureaucrats won't be allowed to discriminate against motorcycle & scooter riders again and our money can be spent on road safety initiatives that actually work.

TAC sponsoring ambulances instead of TV shows like "Bikie Wars" or reducing premiums for safe drivers and riders would be a good start. Real research and better rehab facilities and methods would help.

TAC should get out of showbiz.

If you support the MA Letter please email the Victorian Premier, Ted Baillieu MP and Daniel Andrews MP and let them know.



Damien Codognotto OAM
Spokesman
Independent Riders' Group
Melbourne
Tel: 03 9846 8621
********************************************************************************************************** 
Office of the Premier

 1 Treasury Place
 Melbourne, Victoria
 Australia, 3002

Dear Premier Baillieu

TAC ‘Reconstruction’ campaign

Sir, as you are doubtless aware, in recent weeks the TAC has been running an advertisement aimed at motorcycle riders. This ad has caused considerable angst amongst riders as it represents the most offensive in a long line of ads that contain arguably disingenuous representations of facts and figures; as well as inaccurate, prejudicial and dangerous stereotypes. Coupled with an institutionalised disregard for consultation between TAC, rider representatives and riding safety experts, the recent ad ‘reconstruction’ has led to a total loss of faith by riders in the integrity of the TAC and by association, Victoria Police. Any future campaigns will be tainted by this ad for years to come. Whatever good will there may have been, has now been lost and will take years to rebuild.

How are the ads disingenuous?

In the first instance, despite assertions that the ads to date are aimed at riders with a view to changing behaviour, it would appear that the real aim is to terrify and dissuade prospective riders through the graphic and insensitive presentation of the horror associated with being a vulnerable road user. If the aim was truly to improve rider safety, then there would be an even handed approach to the campaigns that deals not just with the usual dogma of speed and irresponsible riding on the part of riders, but also the impact on riders’ safety by bad driving. The ‘Put yourself in their shoes’ campaign showed that the TAC are in fact capable of such things, but it would appear that the long term vision carried a different agenda.

Over the past two years we have seen a succession of ads following the now tired but traditional format of shock, shock and more gore accompanied by gut wrenching sound effects. We have been shown images of riders with injuries that are not representative of the injuries normally sustained in crashes, we have been shown crashes that verge on the laughably implausible and we have been subjected to selective use of statistics coupled with some very dubious pseudo-science. Some of the statistics have even been described in the recent Parliamentary Inquiry into motorcycle safety by renowned research organisations as ‘disingenuous’.

To make matters worse, the TAC actively seeks to promote the abdication of responsibility for drivers when it comes to being responsible for riders’ safety. Examples are readily available and one particularly ugly example can be found in the recent campaign that stabbed a finger in the chest of riders with the catch phrase "It's up to you to reduce the risks." No hint of ambiguity about drivers sharing responsibility in risk reduction there. I am sure you will agree that road safety is the shared responsibility of all road users and for any road safety organisation, and for the TAC to promote such a one sided and prejudicial philosophy is contrary to the greater good.

TV ads and billboards are obvious to all, but the loudly denied prejudice permeates throughout the TAC’s many forms of media. Following a similar vein and perhaps more insidiously, the following example can be found on the TAC Spokes website

Road Safety Links

About the crash scenario

In this crash scenario, was the driver at fault?

A driver facing a stop sign control under the Road Rules must give way to all vehicles travelling along or turning from the intersecting carriageway. However there is a case law that states, "You cannot give way to something you cannot see”. In this ad scenario, the driver looked but the motorcyclist was out of the field of view of the driver because of his 68km/h travel speed.
If a vehicle is found to have been speeding in this circumstance, fault is attributed more to the speeding vehicle rather than the vehicle facing the stop or give way sign.

Discounting the irony of a ‘no fault’ organisation delving into the realms of blame and the suspect claim regarding field of view, the motorcycle rider shown in the ‘Reconstruction’ ad is speeding by 8Kph, an offence that carries a demerit point total of one. According to the Road Regulations, the total demerit points that could be issued to the car driver disobeying the Stop sign and failing to give way is three.
Despite the fact that the law clearly regards one act as being more heinous than the other and penalises accordingly, the TAC through the inclusion of the case law example implies that somehow the act of failing to give way is less irresponsible - and indeed tacitly forgivable, than exceeding the speed limit by a small amount. In order to support its position they then cite the case law in order to provide the driver with the following ‘get out of jail free’ card of ‘You cannot give way to something you cannot see”. Handy in this case when you are the driver and not the rider - and equally as handy when the rider is not speeding at all and through inattention a driver pulls into the path of a rider and kills him or her.
The case in question is Moulton v Williams and Moulton v Baxter 

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/vic/VicRp/1969/64.html 

and concerns a collision that occurred in 1967 at a residential intersection in Geelong at night. In this case, two vehicles pulled into the path of a Police car from two separate carriageways in the same road. As vehicle A blocked the view of vehicle B by being alongside and the view of the Police car was obscured by an iron fence until the last moment, the circumstances were relatively unique. Following advice from legal sources it is now known that since that time, the case law has never been used as a precedent.

This absolution of drivers is an insult to all those who have lost loved ones through the negligence of a driver and is a gross irresponsibility that should not be tolerated from a government sanctioned organisation allegedly seeking to improve road safety through the promotion of shared responsibility.

How do these ads vilify and marginalise riders?

Vilify – from the Latin “to hold cheap”

No person should be held lower in estimation or importance for race, colour, religion or gender. Nor should they be vilified for their choice of transport. Yet it would seem that if the cause is road safety, then those championing that cause are able to dispense with decency and integrity and become as discriminatory as they see fit. One only has to compare the ads produced showing other road users groups to those depicting riders, in order to see that there is an unrelenting theme throughout the TAC ads dealing with motorcyclists that presents a consistently negative stereotype.

Is it any wonder that the TAC ads fail so miserably at street level, despite the carefully engineered attempts at self-validation through the use of cleverly constructed questionnaires and focus groups? Is it any wonder that riders feel so marginalised and oppressed on all sides when they are misrepresented so consistently by the people who should be striving to bring them into the road safety fold by encouraging tolerance and responsibility?

The result of these campaigns is that drivers now behave far more aggressively towards riders than they have ever before. Anecdotally more riders report acts of aggression on a daily basis from drivers who deliberately swerve at them, cut them off, tailgate and abuse them than ever before. Many riders feel that rather than making their lives safer, the TAC has made the legitimate use of a motorcycle on Victoria’s roads more dangerous and consequently the TAC and those involved in this propaganda have blood on their hands.

Why is this so?

Through the use of negative stereotyping by presenting motorcyclists as universally irresponsible and in all likelihood to be speeding at all times, the TAC is guilty of cultivating prejudice on the part of jurors in appeals and of decision makers generally, when it comes to receiving a fair hearing to determine fault or compensation. This is unacceptable and goes beyond the remit of the TAC act.

It is true to say that the TAC is seen by motorcyclists as completely unaccountable and that the organisation has a government sanctioned mandate to ride roughshod over any road user group, so long as the banner of road safety is waved vigorously enough. No organisation should be unaccountable to the public it serves and while there is always the option of reporting complaints to the Advertising Standards Board, the process is seen as long and unwieldy by the general public. Yet this is the path that must be taken. It is the feeling of riders throughout Australia and of the parties shown below that we can no longer stand silent in the face of the iniquity that emerges when public servants start to feel that the public is there to serve them.

We have therefore lodged a complaint against the TAC to the Advertising Standards Board. In addition a copy of this letter has been sent to the Victorian Premier.

Further, we the undersigned call upon the TAC to:

•           Discontinue and permanently remove the current ‘Reconstruction advertisement and associated material.

•           Discontinue the current one dimensional ‘Shock and Gore’ approach to road safety campaigns.

In addition we call upon the Victorian Government to:

•           To initiate a Parliamentary Inquiry to review the scope and administration of the Transport Accident Act 1986.

•           As part of the inquiry, also examine the equity of compensation paid to motorcyclists compared to drivers involved in identical cases.

•           Establish regulations that govern the content and ethics of Road Safety campaigns in order to prevent misrepresentation or vilification of any road user group.

•           Instruct the TAC to consult in a meaningful and constructive way with rider representative groups on the creation and content of future motorcycle safety campaigns.

•           Establish an independent TAC watchdog committee comprising ministerially appointed representatives from all road user groups.

Yours sincerely

Rob Smith
Manager – Australian Riders’ Division - (VMAG member)
Motorcycling Australia

This letter has been endorsed by:

·         Peter Baulch – Chairman Victorian Motorcycle Council

·         Damien Codognotto  OAM – President, Independent Rider Group

·         Grant Delahoy - 2012 President of the MRA(Vic)

·         Tony Ellis - Victorian representative on the Ulysses Road Safety Committee  (VMAG member)

Sunday 10 June 2012

CONGRATULATIONS 1


CONGRATULATIONS to two motorcyclists today. The Honourable David Hawker OA was made an Officer of the Order of Australia. Stuart Strickland was awarded an Order of Australia Medal.

















Too many Australians know too little about their own honours system. Some think it's a British award. The Order of Australia is as Aussie as the flag. Sure it's got a crown on the medals and Lizzie signs off on the nominations but there's a union jack on our flag and few disrespect our flag. Order of Australia awards celebrate outstanding achievements and contributions to society made by Australians in a wide range of fields of endeavour.

The Order of Australia has four levels:

Medal of the Order. OAM - for service worthy of particular recognition.

Member of the Order. AM - for service in a particular locality or field of activity or to a particular group.

Officer of the Order. AO - for distinguished service of a high degree to Australia or to humanity at large.

Companion of the Order. AC - for eminent achievement and merit of the highest degree in service to
                                                Australia or humanity at large.

Any individual, community6 organisation or professional body can nominate an Australian citizen for an award. Any Australian citizen, by birth or naturalisation, can be nominated for an award.

A nomination form can be obtained from:

The Secretary,  Order of Australia,  Government House,  Canberra,  ACT  2600.

Or download a form from:

www.itsanhonour.com.au

Nominations are assessed by an independent body, The Council of the Order of Australia. The Council consists of 19 members from various walks of life across Australia. Its' diversity provides The Council with a national perspective. It meets twice a year, in Australia not Britain, to consider nominations.
















David Hawker AO (right) with Damien Codognotto OAM and their bikes.

DAVID HAWKER AO  David lives near Horsham in western Victoria. The family property is stunning and is steeped in Australian history. He was a member of the House of Representatives in our Federal Parliament and was Speaker of the House for many years. He rides farm bikes on the land and a Harley on the road. After retiring from federal politics he took on the job of chairing Victoria's Motorcycle Advisory Group (VMAG). VMAG is this state's expert committee on motorcycle & scooter issues.

David was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the Parliament of Australia, to public administration and monetary policy reform and to the community through local government, health and sporting organisations.

Stuart Strickland OAM  (left) at a lunch to mark his retiring as boss of Honda. There's a bear in there.

STUART STRICKLAND OAM  Stuart came to Melbourne from Tasmania and worked in the motorcycle industry. He was Managing Director of Honda MPE for decades. He has several motorcycles including a scooter for round town and a 1300cc sports bike. He is a Director of Motorcycling Australia, the body controlling motorcycle sport and has been nominated for a place on the Transport Accident Commission Board. After retiring from Honda he took a seat on VMAG.

Stuart was awarded and Order of Australia Medal for service to the motorcycle industry through executive and professional roles.

Monday 4 June 2012

INSIGHT TONIGHT


Program Publicity
4 June 2012

INSIGHT: Uneasy Riders

Tuesday 5 June 8.30pm on SBS ONE

This week Insight does what no other current affairs show has been able to do – it brings bikies and police face to face, in a frank and tense debate.

In the wake of shootings across the country, several states have introduced laws that crack down on bikie groups. Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said that coordinating anti-bikie laws across the nation is an urgent priority.

Insight asks whether the new laws unfairly target innocent clubs, and what they might do to Australians’ civil liberties.

In this extraordinary episode, real bikies take on police, and also reveal details of their culture of brotherhood, and even retribution.

Guests include:

Bear Cameron has been a member of the Gypsy Jokers Motorcycle Club in South Australia for 18 years. In the past Bear’s tattoo studio was shot up and Bear was later involved in a revenge attack.

Rohan Tidswell is Sergeant at Arms with the Rebels Motorcycle Club in Queensland. The Rebels are said to be Australia’s largest bikie gang. Rohan says he joined the group 19 years ago for the mateship when his personal life was tough.

Det Supt Arthur Katsogiannis is the head of the NSW Gangs Squad. He says the recent spate of shootings in Sydney is between two clubs and linked to a so-called “patching over” of motorcycle club members from one club to another. He says the culture and ethnic mix of clubs is changing and this is part of the problem.

Nicholas Cowdery is the former NSW Director of Public Prosecutions. He has prosecuted bikies but thinks new bikie laws are a dangerous breach of civil liberties. He says previous laws were adequate and now the balance is wrong.

Greg Hirst is a senior member of Brotherhood Christian Motorcycle Club. He says police and the government don’t understand the complexity of the motorcycle club scene in Australia. He says the new anti-bikie laws enable authorities to crack down on any community group in society including religious groups.

Insight will return on Tuesday 24 July.

INSIGHT - MUST SEE.


From: Marina Saggers <Marina.Saggers@sbs.com.au>

Subject: Bikies face police in an extraordinary Insight episode, tomorrow 8.30pm SBS ONE

Date: 4 June 2012 12:32:27 PM AEST

To: Marina Saggers <Marina.Saggers@sbs.com.au>

Program Publicity
4 June 2012

INSIGHT: Uneasy Riders

Tuesday 5 June 8.30pm on SBS ONE

This week Insight does what no other current affairs show has been able to do – it brings bikies and police face to face, in a frank and tense debate.

<image004.jpeg>

In the wake of shootings across the country, several states have introduced laws that crack down on bikie groups. Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said that coordinating anti-bikie laws across the nation is an urgent priority.

Insight asks whether the new laws unfairly target innocent clubs, and what they might do to Australians’ civil liberties.

In this extraordinary episode, real bikies take on police, and also reveal details of their culture of brotherhood, and even retribution.

Guests include:

Bear Cameron has been a member of the Gypsy Jokers Motorcycle Club in South Australia for 18 years. In the past Bear’s tattoo studio was shot up and Bear was later involved in a revenge attack.

Rohan Tidswell is Sergeant at Arms with the Rebels Motorcycle Club in Queensland. The Rebels are said to be Australia’s largest bikie gang. Rohan says he joined the group 19 years ago for the mateship when his personal life was tough.

Det Supt Arthur Katsogiannis is the head of the NSW Gangs Squad. He says the recent spate of shootings in Sydney is between two clubs and linked to a so-called “patching over” of motorcycle club members from one club to another. He says the culture and ethnic mix of clubs is changing and this is part of the problem.

Nicholas Cowdery is the former NSW Director of Public Prosecutions. He has prosecuted bikies but thinks new bikie laws are a dangerous breach of civil liberties. He says previous laws were adequate and now the balance is wrong.

Greg Hirst is a senior member of Brotherhood Christian Motorcycle Club. He says police and the government don’t understand the complexity of the motorcycle club scene in Australia. He says the new anti-bikie laws enable authorities to crack down on any community group in society including religious groups.

Insight will return on Tuesday 24 July.

For more information or interview requests, please contact:

Marina Saggers | t: 02 9430 3827 | m: 0418 494 393| e: marina.saggers@sbs.com.au

Images available at sbs.com.au/publicity <http://sbs.com.au/publicity>

sbs.com.au/insight <http://www.sbs.com.au/insight> | facebook.com/InsightSBS <http://www.facebook.com/InsightSBS> | twitter.com/insightSBS <http://www.twitter.com/insightSBS> | twitter.com/jenbrockie <http://twitter.com/jenbrockie>

Marina Saggers

COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST

marina.saggers@sbs.com.au <mailto:marina.saggers@sbs.com.au>  

T +612 9430 3827   M +61418 494 393   F +612 9430 3052

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<Insight - Uneasy Riders - media release.pdf>

Saturday 2 June 2012

BIKE BINGLE

THE SUNDAY HERALD SUN
Page 18.
June 3, 2012.


LARA IN COURT OVER BINGLE


LARA Bingle is due to appear in court next month after allegedly hitting a motorcyclist and driving on a suspended licence in Sydney's eastern suburbs. The model has been ordered to appear on July 3 on four charges after an incident at Bondi on May 14. Speaking from Mumbai yesterday, where she is filming her reality series Being Lara Bingle, the 24-year-old said the incident was "with her lawyers".


If any Sydney motorcyclists can make it into the public gallery of the court hearing lovely Lara's case on July 3, I'd really like to know if she says. "Sorry mate, I didn't see you." I'd also like to know the penalties for each of the four charges that are not dismissed.


Damien
IRG
Melbourne

TAC AD DISGRACE 15

The Victorian Transport Accident Commission's latest antibike campaign featured a car driving through a stop sign (a three demerit point offence) and killing a motorcyclist who was doing 8 kph over the speed limit (a one demerit point offence). In the TV ad a policeman explains to the millions of car drivers watching that the rider broke the law and his neck because he was speeding. The cop does not say a thing about the car driver's offence. This sends strong messages. It says "Sorry mate, I didn't see you." is a legitimate excuse. The bikie is at fault in a no-fault system because he is. The car driver is not at fault because it is a no-fault system. TAC logic. 

It says, don't buy a bike because you will die. It says, if you are on a bike you are at fault. It says buy your children cars so they won't get a bike and die.

Remember the "cup cake killer" up Bendigo way? The highly-trained police driver did a u-turn which would have been questionable in excellent conditions let alone pre-dawn fog, saw the bike's light and did the turn anyway. The rider died. The driver walked with licence in tact.

There was a big backlash to the current TAC antibike campaign. Good to see. But rather than admit their error, TAC wheeled out the spin doctors and apologists and went into damage control mode. I'm told a cop even told a road safety meeting recently that the TAC antibike ad was seen and approved by motorcycle & scooter representatives before it went to air. That did not happen. Some people are saying the cop lied. Maybe, or maybe he just got the wrong info from an anonymous TAC source eh?

I'd like to know what the campaign really cost too. Someone said $1 million! That's laughable. It must have cost a lot more than that and if you ad in the damage control costs ... The money TAC spends making itself look good on TV should be out into better rehab, more ambulances and promotion of safer driving/riding through lower premiums for safer drivers/riders.

One such TAC source gave one of us, an at-fault-because-of-his-transport-choice rider named Simon, some seemingly unsatisfactory answers. I say seemingly because the responses were apparently very satisfactory to TAC bureaucrats.

On 29/04/2012 1:39 PM, Simon Robinson wrote: 


Dear TAC, 

I have been reviewing your latest motorcycle safety advertisement where the rider hits a car that has failed to give way and breaks his neck.  I have a few questions regarding this campaign. 

1.  Why is the focus of this ad completely on the RIDER'S actions?  In the scenario depicted, TWO offences were committed by separate vehicle operators.  The offence committed by the operator of the car could have just as easily killed a non-speeding motorcyclist.  The ad fails to mention the car performed an ILLEGAL right turn by failing to giving way, and then the car driver is almost completely absolved of responsibility by implying he had NO chance to see the motorcycle because of it's speed.  Surely this is the greater evil and should be addressed with greater focus. 

2.  Why analyse the scenario of 68km/h?  What is special about 68km/h, do statistics show that it is the most likely speed for a motorcyclist to be travelling at in a 60 zone?  Why not analyse a range of speeds?  Hey, let's change just one small thing, what if this accident had happened in a 70km/h zone, would you finally blame the car driver then?  You do realise at 80km/h the rider would have already passed the street BEFORE the car turned out without giving way.  Equally a rider at 60km/h but much closer to the car would have had a very similar accident.  This is not the first time this has been done either, previous TAC pedestrian safety ads have followed EXACTLY the same MO, no analysis of what happens if the primary offence was not committed, just a very specific accident that only happens in very specific circumstances, and blame for the accident incorrectly apportioned to those involved. 

3.  I note that the "Put yourself in their shoes" motorcycle campaign has also been aired again recently.  In my memory, this is the finest motorcycle safety ad the TAC has produced.  I have a few minor quibbles with it, but they are more about making it perfect, I believe it is already a very effective presentation.  My question is why has this ad been shown so many times during shows that motorcyclists are likely to watch, like MotoGP and various "Man" shows.  The reason I like this ad so much is that it reaches out to car drivers who aren't particularly aware, or respectful of motorcyclists.  Do you really think people who watch MotoGP don't have awareness or respect for motorcyclists?  I'm not saying don't show it, just don't show it every single ad break, spread it around TV so EVERYONE sees it. 

I own 3 registered motorcycles, and some of my registration is paying for these campaigns, so I would appreciate your responses on these matters. 

Regards, 

Simon 



From:Simon Robinson 
To:info@tac.vic.gov.au 
Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2012 7:42 PM 
Subject: Re: Latest Motorcycle safety ad 


Dear TAC, 


I have not yet had any reply to my questions. Do you have nothing to say? Are you overwhelmed by similar emails and unable to respond in a timely manner?

As noted previously, I contribute financially to the TAC, and I have no choice about this due to the monopoly status TAC has been granted by the government. I believe I am owed an explanation. If you can't respond by Friday I will be taking the matter further.


Regards


Simon


To:Simon Robinson
Sent: Friday, May 18, 2012 7:33 PM 
Subject: Re: Fw: Latest Motorcycle safety ad 


Dear Simon, 


Thank you for your emails. My apologies for not getting back to you sooner. 


The target audience of this ad is motorcycle riders. One of the aims of the campaign is to make riders aware that by travelling at a speed that is within the posted speed limit and appropriate for the conditions, they can reduce their risk of being involved in a crash, as this will give them more time to react to unexpected situations and can also increase the chance of other road users seeing them properly. However, we agree that it's also very important to educate drivers about the importance of looking out for motorcyclists on the roads and there have been other campaigns (eg. Vice Versa and Look Again) which addresses this specific issue. 


We know through our market research that there is still a section of the community, including both riders and drivers, that believe a few kms over the speed limit will not make a difference in crash probability or outcome. Our surveys with riders also found that more than one in four riders self-report speeding for at least half the time they ride, and over half this group report speeding all or most of the time. However, travelling at a speed that is within the posted speed limit and appropriate for the conditions, drivers and riders can reduce their risk of being involved in a crash, as this will give them more time to react to unexpected situations and can affect crash outcomes. For more information on the research between speed and crash outcomes can be found at


http://spokes.com.au/#/rider-safety/reconstruction-info


In selecting the scenario depicted in our ad, the TAC worked very closed with Police to source the scenario and the relevant calculations. 


Thank you for your postive feedback on our 'Put youself in their shoes' campaign. The media was a general media buy targeted across several networks to ensure a wide viewing audience. It would have targeted high rating shows and during the period it was on air, we expect the MotoGP would have been a high rating program. 


I thank you for taking the time to write to us. 


TAC


Thanks for your reply.  I can imagine that you must have had quite a few emails about it, the ad has certainly annoyed the motorcycle community quite significantly. 

  
In regards to the TAC scheduling the ad during the appropriate programming.  We have all seen the ad many, many times by now.  And each time we see it, we get more annoyed.  In terms of the ad's effectiveness, it would be fair to say from my point of view and that of my friends, it has been a spectacular failure.  It's hard for us to see it as anything other than justification of the speed camera program.  Given the tolerances the cameras are set to, it's hard to see this as anything other than using our rego money to support the government propaganda on the speed camera program.  Victoria generates almost 3/4 of the national speed camera revenue, yet we don't have 3/4 of the national road toll, so to us simple bike riders this stinks to high heaven. 
  
Please take the time to view a recut of the ad I have made myself.  I kept the central message that speeding is bad, but also pointed out the many mistakes that the rider made, apart from speeding.  For example, locking the back brake is about the WORST thing you can do to stop a motorcycle, and would be an instant FAIL during a motorcycle licence test. 
  
I also included a scenario where an experienced rider who was NOT speeding used his additional knowledge and skills to remove himself from harms way.  Finally, I took the few scant seconds needed to point out the ILLEGAL turn the car driver made. I'm speechless that TAC didn't draw attention to this at all, and in fact tried to excuse the car driver in part of responsibility by stating the speed of the motorcycle prevented him from giving way.  Disgraceful, regardless of who the ad is actually "targetted" at.  Anytime TAC is advertising on TV they should be putting as much messaging into their ads as possible.  With the amount of times the "motorcycle reconstruction" ad has been shown recently, even a simple person would be capable of absorbing multiple road safety messages from it. 



The link is below, please take the time to watch it.  It should take less time to watch than it will to read this email: 
  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1Sx_VgRcHo  
  
I have been riding for 20 years and ridden more than half a million kilometres.  I was a motorcycle courier for 7 years.  I can tell you that the only reason I'm still alive is because I practise extreme defensive riding, no matter what speed I'm travelling at.  None of the TAC ads aimed at riders have any messages for me that I haven't already learned the hard way personally, or via friends who have had crashes.  I don't expect the TAC to make ads specifically for guys like me, I'm already paranoid about safety whenever I ride.  I know that my experiences are fairly unique, and that other riders will likely not go through anything like I have.  I do have expectations that some car driver education ads will help me by educating car drivers to be more motorcycle aware.  As I mentioned previously the "put yourself in their shoes" campaign is an excellent use of TAC resources in my opinion.  We all liked that one and would like to see more of it. 
  
Where I get annoyed is when the TAC grossly misrepresents accident situations and ignoring ALL causal factors, so they can conveniently blame speed, the mother of all evils apparently. I have never had an crash while speeding.  I've been taken out by cars many times, and over and over "failing to give way" is the culprit.  So I hope you can understand why I find your current ad insulting, misleading, poorly thought out, and a missed opportunity to provide some real motorcycle safety messages without alienating motorcyclists.  Even if the ads are of little benefit to me, I'd like to think they will be of use to less experienced riders. 
  

As mentioned before, I pay 3 motorcycle registrations, and I feel that the TAC is not spending this money responsibly with it's recent ad campaign.  By alienating the riders you are trying to communicate to, you risk those riders tuning out to ALL your messages, which could lead to an INCREASE in fatalaties and injuries in the future.  Not in the TACs best interests, I would suggest. 
  
I would appreciate it if you could provide answers to the following questions or point me to a link where I can find them myself: 
  
How many motorcyclists/riders groups, excluding TAC employees, were involved in any way in the creation of this ad? 


How many motorcyclists/riders groups, excluding TAC employees, were involved in feedback after the ad was created/aired? 


How much money was spent to create the ad? 


How much money is budgeted to be spent airing the ad? 
  
I would appreciate your feedback and answers to the above questions. 
  
Regards, 
  
Simon 
  

Hi Damien,


I thought I'd share my recent progress with the TAC to get this new ad modified or pulled from TV.  I spoke with TAC today for about 45 minutes.  Unfortunately TAC didn't really have anything new to say I didn't already expect.  What was more interesting was what she had nothing to say about.  Summary of the main points is below:


I asked about the TAC safety levy, who actually collects the money and why it's been removed as a line item from the rego slip.  She told me they collect the money from Vic Roads and it's paid to a separate account, and made pains to explain the TAC does not spend it.  She referred me to Vic Roads to ask why it has been removed from the rego slip.  She didn't really make any attempt to argue with my point that it seems like someone wants us to forget we are actually paying this charge at all.


(Background on the Victorian TAC antibike tax is at


http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/abolish-tac-antibike-tax.html

Damien. IRG)


I also discussed the spokes website with regards to the information there justifying/explaining the new ad.  The website states quite clearly that they consider the motorcyclist to be "more at fault" because of his speeding than the car driver who merely "failed to give way."  See below:


"With respect to fault, a driver facing a stop sign control under the Road Rules must give way to all vehicles travelling along or turning from the intersecting carriageway. However, there is case law that states, "You cannot give way to something you cannot see". In this ad scenario, the driver looked but the motorcyclist was out of the field of view of the driver because of his 68km/h travel speed. If a vehicle is found to have been speeding in this circumstance, fault is attributed more to the speeding vehicle rather than the vehicle facing the stop or give way sign."


I pointed out that you can "lose" a motorcycle quite easily behind the A pillar of a car, especially if it contains an airbag as these pillars are much thicker.  I asked if this would also be a valid legal defence and didn't really get an answer.  So I simplified things and pointed out that the motorcyclist committed a 1 demerit point offence, and the car driver committed a 3 point demerit offence, so this logic does not really hold.  I got no response to that either, although TAC did point out it is not a lawyer and that Police, not TAC, charge drivers after accidents. 


I also pointed out that many motorcyclists have taken great offence to the TAC providing legal defence information to car drivers who cause motorcycle crashes on a MOTORCYCLE SAFETY WEBSITE.  TAC didn't have anything to say about that at all.  There was a rather uncomfortable silence at this point.  It was hard to tell if TAC actually felt uncomfortable about it, or genuinely had not considered this before.  I also made the point that if doing 68 in a 60 zone makes you "invisible" then there should be a much greater safety margin, and basically they are putting Vic Roads in a position where they could be considered culpable for these kind of deaths.  TAC rejected that, but I'm not sure if they looked at it from this angle prior to making the ad.


I asked who had been consulted regarding the ad and all I got was "focus groups."  I've read that someone at VMAG had spoken with TAC and was told "something was under development" but they were given no details.  I didn't specifically raise this, but I put it to TAC that the TAC could not have possibly consulted with any riders groups, or their inputs were ignored because they would have raised many of the issues I raised in my own emails.  She didn't dispute this so I can only assume it's true and only focus groups were used.


I also asked why so many other bad behaviours were ignored by the ad.  Failing to give way, locking the rear brake, etc and was told that they focus on "single messages" in these ads because they dont want to overwhelm or confuse people, and it's hard to get more than 1 message across in 30 seconds.  I pointed out that the full ad is 1 minute, and that I must have seen the ad at least 100 times on commercial tv recently.  With such repetition it should surely be possible for people to absorb multiple safety messages from the ad.  Didn't really get a response to that either.


Unfortunately I didn't learn very much from the whole experience, except to get a few things confirmed which I already suspected, but hoped weren't true.  Basically, they don't give a shit about us and would be happy as hell if we all stopped riding tomorrow.  I said that the only thing that would make me happy would be to pull the ad or modify it substantially, which got the reply "I can't commit to that."


So the fight continues :)


Regards,


Simon