POLICE STATE LAWS TO GO TO HIGH COURT.

QUEENSLAND'S police state laws may be challenged by motorcycle clubs in the high court.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/ned-kelly-on-a-hog-how-savvy-bikies-are-winning-the-pr-war/story-fni0xqrb-1226782534722

IRG REQUEST TO MEET VIC PREMIER

On 9 December 2013 22:20, Dale Maggs <dale.maggs@bigpond.com> wrote:

Dear Premier 

I have been waiting patiently for a reply from your Diary team to my first request to meet with you to discus Victorian motorcycle & scooter issues. 

It's been several months and many emails & phone calls but your diary manager Ms Julie Reid has not been able to find a date. 

I organised a protest at our Parliament. we asked you to attend! 

I ask you once again please take the time to meet with our group. 

I have attached a discussion paper for your viewing. 

Please take the time to pick up the phone & let's get the issues on the table! 

I have made this request public as my prior requests seems to have fallen on deaf ears. 

Motorcycle & Scooter riders Vote!

Regards

Dale Robert Maggs

Mob 0432776458

@convictstock

Independent Riders Group 

On 30/12/2013, at 10:06 AM, Emma DAgostino wrote:

Hi Dale,

Any progress on this front?

Kind regards,

Emma

Emma D'Agostino

Journalist

The Wimmera Mail-Times

92 Wilson Street, Horsham

On 30/12/2013, at 10:35 AM, Dale Maggs wrote:

Absolutely none. Several talks on the phone since 24th June 2013. Several email exchanges from Julie Reid Diary manager stating she is still looking to set a date!

Really poor form IMO.

Dale Robert Maggs 

Mob 0432776458

@convictstock

Independent Riders Group

From: damian Codognotto [mailto:d.codognotto.oam@bigpond.com]
Sent: Monday, 30 December 2013 2:13 PM
To: Dale Maggs
Cc: Emma DAgostino
Subject: IRG REQUEST TO MEET NAPTHINE 1

Dale Maggs

Spokesman

The Independent Riders' Group

Western Victoria

Keep after him Dale.

Napthine made definite, on-the-record promises to us. One was that the discriminatory TAC tax be abolished. He tabled our petition against the TAC tax in state parliament. He put out a media release promising to abolish the TAC tax if the Libs/Nats got in to government.

The unfair TAC antibike tax came in under the previous Labor government. It was a road safety experiment that failed.

In opposition X Premier Bailieu did a story with the Wangaratta Chronicle(?) promising to abolish the TAC tax. 

The Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry (2012) into motorcycle & scooter safety studied the TAC tax and recommended it be abolished. 

From Motorcycle Trader magazine - February 2013.

Recommendation 25 is quite clear.

Shadow Roads Minister, Luke Donnellan MP, raised the Premier's media release promising the tax would be abolished in state parliament in 2013.

There is no excuse for keeping the TAC antibike tax. Who runs this business? The state government or the TAC/VicRoads. 

The TAC tax is negative to road safety.

The TAC tax makes motorcycle & scooter riding more expensive by about $75 a year for most bikes. From memory bikes under 125cc are exempt because the postie's union kicked up a fuss. People with more than one registered bike are required to pay for only one machine but this fact is not widely known and getting a refund is very hard work. Obviously people who can afford more than one bike get an advantage.

The TAC tax means $75 a year less to spend on protective clothing and better equipment and servicing. The very people who are riding to save time and money - students, low-income earners, young families - are the ones the Napthine Government is putting at risk with this punative tax. 

While the TAC tax is in place there will be no real budget for motorcycle & scooter safety and research as there is for bicyclists. Bicyclists pay no TAC insurance fee or the TAC tax. Motorcycle & scooter riders pay as much as a car including the tax. But the tax bill is not itemised. Vicroads collects the tax for TAC but it does not want the average rider to know about this blatant rip off. The tax is hidden on the registration papers as "**Includes charge for motorcycle safety initiatives".

Hiding the TAC tax like this may be legal  ......  just,  but I do not believe it's ethical.  I doubt it would be acceptable billing in the real world of business.  Hidden charges would,  I think,  be seen as a rip off.  And, the GST on the tax is a tax on a tax isn't it?  How fair is that?

$614.10  for a 750 cc bike is way too much. Car driver error causes most road casualties so their third party insurance (TAC charge) should cover that. Safer road users should get no claim discounts as they do in commercial insurance. I've been riding since 1967 and I've never made a TAC claim.

Motorcycle & scooter riders more than pay their way on Victoria's roads. Recreational riders spend an estimated $750 million each year on touring. Most of that is spent in regional areas. Phillip Island gets an estimated boost of $60 million from the motorcycle GP. Mildura hosted the Ulysses Club AGM a couple of years ago. Riders contributed some $4 million to that city and surrounds. Reference - Mildura tourism authority - Tourism Victoria website. And this does not include the tens of millions spent by off-road riders every year. Then there's farm bikes ....

Motorcycles & scooters are here to stay. The federal report on Australian cities makes that point very clear. Numbers have been increasing for decades and will continue to increase. In congested cities bikes make sense. They save the rider time and money. They reduce pollution, traffic congestion and do little infrastructure damage. They also free up road space and parking bays for people who have to use a car. As commuters, motorbikes & scooters carry more further than bicycles. The VicRoads/TAC antibike policies do no service to the people of this state.

2014 is an election year in Victoria. The Napthine Government's hold on power is not that great. The IRG will be campaigning in marginal seats and one of the big issues will be abolishing the discriminatory TAC tax.

Damien Codognotto OAM

Spokesman

The Independent Riders' Group

Melbourne

Damien,

The situation appears to be that the “whole of government response”, which included response from the TAC, VicRoads, VicPol, et al, is that that have decided to adopt some of the recommendations from the Parliamentary Inquiry into Motorcycle Safety, some in part, some not at all and some “in principle”  which appears to mean not at all (eg Recommendation 59 relating to Filtering).

It is expected that their word is final and that they are allowed not to adopt any of the recommendations from the Parliamentary Road Safety Committee, this is of course a ridiculous situation, what’s the point of having a Road safety Committee if the whole of Government response is to ignore most of what is recommends and this after a public inquiry.

Our only course of action is to protest and make it known we do not agree with the whole of government response and are entitled to voice this opinion, because the recommendations are sound and were made to provide the best outcome for all road users.

Regards

Steve. 

Thanks Steve.

And give the government problems at the ballot box.

 

What makes me angry is that we made submissions to the parliamentary inquiry in good faith.

The TAC, VicRoads and police made submissions. Then the unholy trinity were allowed to evaluate what we put in, fine tune their work to make life as hard as possible for riders then resubmit.  Then VicRoads/TAC/police write the "whole of government response" and use the MPs like ventriloquist dolls. If they had any honour at all they'd call it the Yes Minister response.

2014 is going to be a busy year.

Damien Codognotto OAM
Spokesman
Independent Riders' Group
Melbourne

MELBOURNE TOY RUN 2014

The Melbourne TOY RUN will be on Sunday, December 7, 2014.

There will be a new assembly area and a route that can accommodate a lot more bikes.

The charity will again be the Father Bob Foundation.

https://www.facebook.com/events/487034254751262/?fref=ts

This shot alone begs the question .... where were all the young riders?

ANTIBIKE BIGOTRY!

http://www.linkedin.com/nhome/?trk=update-footer-activity

John Lambert and Alan Hood have influence in places like VicRoads and Hood seems to hate riders with an irrational, ill-informed passion.

There have been 59 comments over the last week.

There's not a lot of use the parliamentary road safety committee can be with people like Alan Hood putting rubbish like this on influential forums like Linked In.

John Lambert commented on a discussion in Decade of Action for Road Safety.

Alan Hood Who will face up to the hypocritical status of the Motor Bike on our roads?

We have mandatory seat belts, collapsible steering, anti intrusion bars, progressive crumple rate body with minimum performance, exceptional braking standards, traction control, indicator lights in set positions to provide maximum warning to other drivers, and at the same time we hypocritically allow people not only to put on a helmet, and some leathers and sit on top of an engine in a motor cycle with a power to mass ratio and signalling inconsistent with the rest of the traffic flow, and dispassionately accept a high death and injury rate, burying it in the road death statistics for the entire transport system. Who is going to have the guts to start phasing this anomaly out?less

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ACT OZ DAY RUN

https://www.facebook.com/NorthernRegisterIRG


If you are doing a New Year email out to Members and Clubs, can you please request they keep AUSTRALIA DAY free for the CANBERRA PROTEST RIDE, or in the case of clubs, consider making it a club event.  

A lot of clubs have their annual runs, poker runs etc on that long weekend, and it's concerning me that combined with school holidays absences, we may be pushing to get a strong show of support.

As far as I can tell, the name is 'Australia Day Bill of Rights Petition Run', and to cover those who don't have access to FB, can you also include the link for them to sign the petition . . .

http://www.petitions24.com/australia_day_bill_of_rights_run_petition         

and this is some information about it . . .


http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/11/26/comment-australia-needs-bill-rights

Include the FB pages for them to follow up for details; I am already suggesting on FB Northern, riders plan to have an overnight a couple of hours out of Canberra, or in Canberra (if they can get it, or afford it!), on Sat 25th Jan, and possibly Sun 26th Jan as well, depending on how many hours riding they have to get home.


https://www.facebook.com/pages/Freedom-Ride-1st-Dec/585799561485296?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser

https://www.facebook.com/NorthernRegisterIRG

https://www.facebook.com/IndependentRidersGroup?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser

POLICE TRIAL BODY CAMS!

So a riders gets booked for a helmet cam while WA police use them and Vic cops are trialling something similar.

http://www.vicpolicenews.com.au/news/2229-police-to-trial-body-worn-cameras.html

http://www.3aw.com.au/blogs/3aw-news-blog/watch-motorcyclists-dispute-over-gopro-on-helmet/20131220-2zoyo.html

 www.cjnews.com.au

Spotted by Dale Maggs.

Channel 9 footage:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=184737341720813&set=vb.119154394945775&type=2theatre

 . . . https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=184737341720813&set=vb.119154394945775&type=2&theater

Channel 10 footage:

http://tenplay.com.au/news/melbourne/2013/12/20/candid-camera?autoStart=true

Cate :-)

MAINTAIN THE RAGE!

Lindsay Swift writes good stuff.

I added the pix and dedicate this entertainment to Grant Delahoy.

But, if you think about it, it's a bit scary.

Damien
IRG

I was intercepted recently by police as I rode safely through some twisties. As there were also some other motorcyclists (unknown to me) using the same stretch of road. I was automatically in the shit for either drag racing (although I was in men's clothes) or riding in a gang.

The cop gets out of his car, swaggering all bandy-legged like he had haemhorroids with one hand on his crappy Glock and the other pawing at his radio as he called for back-up. I don't know why they don't call it support - he didn't have my support, but he had my back up.

English lessons aside here was the state's finest, your taxes (and motorcycle tax and multiple, multiple CTP and stamp duties) at work.

"Orright, motherfucker, down on the fucken ground, NOW!" he greeted me.

"Where are your mates that didn't stop?" he demanded.

A pretty open and ambiguous question given that I have mates around Australia, England and Europe, none of whom stopped in this instance. What was I supposed to say that wouldn't be used against me - "I can't believe it's not butter?"

I chose the safest option; "No comment".

I was tasered and capsicum sprayed and kicked. I don't suppose they had water boarding equipment handy and subjecting me to Rap might mean that the cop would hear some too which would contravene OH&S.

"You're one of them, aren't you?" he snarled as the other police cars, bikes, helicopters, segways and horses arrived.

"One of whom?"

"You're a gang member. You're one of them."

They'd already found my wallet and were probably disappointed that my pockets and orrifices didn't yield any cutlery or fishing equipment they could charge me with and use as the cornerstone for banning fishing and cutlery.

"You were riding in a group, Swift," he said as another mum in a 4WD went past with a mobile phone stuck to her ear.

"We haven't linked you to one of our, err, outlawed outlaw groups so we deduce that you are part of the mysterious MRA...err A, eh? We don't know how many members they have. They probably don't even know, but we know you're one of them!". He punched me to emphasise his cleverness.

At this I hissed something slang about a vagina. He looked startled.

"So, an MRA...A member who actually cares what we do to a motorcyclist. You must be new."

He produced a photo of a tax office-looking character beside some grossly insipid, leather clad tool who was waving and grinning like a grinning, waving spastic. He pointed at the more idiotic of the two. "Recognise this prick in the leather?"

"Sure. Isn't it Marty Monster auditioning for the part of the gimp in Pulp Fiction?"

"You smartarsed fucking... oh, wait... Is it?" he found it hard to argue. "I'll be fucked," he laughed.

"Isn't this the leader of your criminal organisation?" chimed in a police woman.

Surely this was a trick question. Criminal? Well this moron didn't look  too honest, but Organisation? Leader? Must be a trick.

I sat silent.

"Hey, we're gonna polish up our bullbar and ram a few motorcyclists off cliffs!" said the woman.
"Yeah, arff arrf, then we're gonna get one of your representatives to spout off how it was all the motorcyclists' fault!" added the man. They like this team work kind of shit.

I spat at them, incredulous at their anti-motorcycling ploy. "Mob of fucking filthy cu...". I was cut short.
"Ease up, fella. We were just testing ya." the woman interrupted. "If you were really an MRA member you'd thank us for doing that and busy yourself telling all the other motorcyclists not to make any noise about it." 

I was puzzled.

"It's the MRA's MO." smiled the woman, benevolently helping me to my feet.

"A, " said the man, "It's the MRA -A!"

"Oh," she said.

"Aye?" I asked.

"Look, never mind. We usually leave it to the vict, err, suspect to prove their own innocence, but we thought we'd give you the bullbar test, cos we've got some cocai, err, um, homeless people to bash." said the man.

I was off the hook. I was now free to rinse the capsicum spray further into my eyes and leave. Just then a rotund, bald officer arrived.

He had just stepped out of a large 4WD, one of those ones people usually use to atone for a small penis. A passenger of sorts sat in the back seat. He had a studded leather collar on his neck and appeared otherwise naked. A large chrome chain tethered the collar to the head rest. The officer,  a sergeant, threw a small piece of food to the passenger who caught it in his mouth.

"Wait there, Leonardo." he ordered. He then began waddling towards me. 

"Oi. Where's your fucking fluoro vest?!" He snapped.

I awoke in sweat, for a moment still panicked about what I had just endured. A tabasco-soaked chunk of pizza sat amongst the beer bottles on the coffee table, which explained the capsicum spray.

It's amazing just how bloody real nightmares can seem.
 
Maintain the Rage!

Lindsay