Wednesday, 2 April 2025

Bills

Transport Legislation Amendment (Vehicle Sharing Scheme Safety and Standards) Bill 2025

Second reading

Debate resumed on motion of Gabrielle Williams:

That this bill be now read a second time.

Matthew GUY (Bulleen) (15:01): I know that today has been a fairly intense day in the chamber, through a number of debates, but I guess the Transport Legislation Amendment (Vehicle Sharing Scheme Safety and Standards) Bill 2025 will probably ease the tone of the afternoon and allow members – some opposite maybe – to sink back. Like the member for Narre Warren North – you can maybe just sink back into your phone and not have to yell, because I suspect having half an hour of me talking about e-scooters, e-bikes and pushbikes you may not find to be the most combative. However, I will do my best just for you.

This is a bill that the coalition will not be opposing and I do understand why the government, while I know they have been preparing this now for some months, are getting around to putting it in place, because clearly with the rise of e-scooters, e-bikes and all these kinds of active rideshare mechanisms coming into place there does need to be a level of safety, probity and governance attached to those who will seek to be operators in this field. I think that is a wise thing to do because we have to ensure that when councils across Victoria – and I would argue, if we could, we should synchronise this across Australia – see operators come, particularly overseas operators, and I will come to that, who are seeking to put in place these kinds of active transport mechanisms, then we need to make sure that there are levels of safety that they are adhering to and that for councils when they go to approach these organisations, or vice versa, there is a level of understanding that they are professional and that they will be able to produce an outcome that does not end up like what we have seen in the past, which is bikes thrown into the Yarra, but actually becomes a value-add to our cities.

I will be frank from the outset: I am a big fan of e-scooters. I own one. I used to ride one around my electorate, which I am sure was a little bit fascinating to many people.

Belinda Wilson interjected.

Matthew GUY: I did. I used to use it to go the hardware store, to my electorate office and to the shops, and then I realised it was replacing my actual ability to go and get steps in and be a little active myself, so I ceased using it for those purposes. But I am a big fan of using e-scooters for the simple reason that they are convenient. They are a very easy way to get around, particularly if you live within a, let us say, 5- or 10-k radius of the CBD of Melbourne. Melbourne is fairly topographically flat, so these kinds of e-scooters as a mechanism to get around – and throw in on top of that e-bikes and throw on top of that pushbikes, which I will come to in a minute – are a great means of transport. I have been a keen bike rider for many, many years. When I was in my teens, I used to ride from Montmorency to Whittlesea and Montmorency to Donnybrook before they were suburbs. It was fascinating to be able to ride into the country back in those days with mates. I am one of the few MPs I think who – maybe not so much recently – actually has ridden into Parliament as a means of getting into Parliament, till I had an argument with some maps in relation to getting around Yarra Bend, but that is another point. It left me late for a party room meeting.

But that aside, it is important that we provide mechanisms for not just regular people who live in a city who want to use a pushbike – or increasingly e-bikes, which are just as convenient and, particularly in hillier topographical locations, just as useful, and e-scooters – but also visitors to these cities, particularly if you go out further, Acting Speaker O’Keeffe, to your electorate of Shepparton, to regional Victoria. They are a fabulous way of getting around and they can bring a location into a tourist’s realm of approachability; they can make a location much easier to get around than if they had to rely on an Uber, a taxi, walking or public transport in itself, such as a bus – or maybe even a train or a tram if it was in a Melbourne case. I am very much a fan of e-scooters, e-bikes and cycle transport, but in the bill’s case around e-scooters and e-bikes, because I think that they need to be embraced as part of our active transport regime.

I know the government is seeking to then say ‘All right, well, if this is the case, then there are certain operators who are coming all around certain local government areas. We want to make sure that those who are seeking to be operators in this space are credible and most importantly are going to adhere to the safety requirements that we put in place many years ago’ – such things as compulsory wearing of helmets and how they attach and being able to make sure that the bikes are fully charged, that they are of reasonable quality and that they will not cause any odd slight accidents that leave people injured in any way. They need to have that level of accountability, hence the bill. I understand why the government wants to say – although it has been some time, over a year, I understand – ‘Well, we want to make sure that these operators will then register or go through the Department of Transport’, where the secretary of the department will then provide an assurance or put these providers as accredited, if you like, and then these operators will be able to be accessed by or approach councils around the state to operate in their municipality.

That is straightforward and I understand it, particularly in relation to the safety, infrastructure and integrity of the e-scooters and the e-bikes, and convenience, such as the display on the scooters, particularly in relation to battery but also speed – and I will come to speed because there are a number of cities which do speed limit; indeed the GPS on the systems will speed limit as you approach certain zones, which I have encountered in Darwin, in Adelaide and in Buenos Aires – and of course the technology. You might have older technology on some bikes that do not register the GPS, for instance, if they have got an overseas operator that might be trying to throw a cheaper material into Melbourne. We want to make sure that is avoided, and that is what the registration system would, I believe, do. I think that is quite a worthwhile point in doing so. There are obviously two sections of the bill in relation to those who will be registered afterwards should this bill pass. It looks to me like it will certainly go through the lower house. Then those who are operating at the moment would have to then retrofit themselves to sections of that regime, which again, I totally understand.

There is a section in the bill in relation to PSOs and a widening of the PSOs’ power. PSOs are a great initiative. I think we all must remind ourselves that the expansion of PSOs, a Baillieu government initiative, was a very good initiative. It was a very wise initiative to have protective services officers do more than limit themselves to a number of buildings around the city – to expand them out to broader use. Under this bill they might be able to issue fines, for instance, to those who might be breaking the law, such as someone who is riding on a footpath where it clearly says no scooters are allowed; where there are multiple people on an e-scooter, which clearly, as you take the e-scooter on, it says you cannot do, so they are breaking the law; or someone is riding without a helmet, which has been an offence in Victoria, from memory, since the Kirner government days. I remember riding to and from school and having to put a helmet on, thinking ‘This is now the law’, and it was the law. It became law I think, from memory, in around 1990–1991 for all bike riders. These are basic laws that now need to be upheld for those using these scooters, and giving the PSOs the ability to issue a fine to those not adhering to those laws is understandable. It is certainly something that does need to be factored in in terms of the growth of e-scooters and e-bikes into the future. E-bikes in Melbourne have probably been around less so – they have been more for private use – as opposed to the e-scooter, but in the future I imagine you will see both of those.

As I said, I am a keen supporter and user of e-scooters. Not so much e-bikes; I do not own one, and I have used one only very briefly. I will talk about e-scooters, because I have used them in many cities, apart from my own electric scooter, and I think they are a fabulous way of being able to first of all get around traffic and second to get to meetings in reasonable locations. I have gone on them quite a distance, I might add, in a very convenient manner. Particularly in a warmer climate where it is not raining you can move fairly freely and fairly easy.

In a place like central Melbourne I think e-scooters would absolutely enhance the city. I am going to give some examples as to how they can. I am very disappointed in the City of Melbourne for removing them and cursing them and claiming that they have been a scourge et cetera. If there is a proper regime in place, they should not be. In fact I think the concept of riding an e-scooter from the top end of town, if you are a tourist, down to Docklands or down to look at the MCG – Melbourne has enough paths on which they can be used safely. Melbourne has plenty of paths along the Yarra on which they can be easily speed limited on a GPS system.

Mathew Hilakari interjected.

Matthew GUY: That is probably the friendliest thing you have said all week, so I will not bite. But I say to the member for Point Cook it is something that I am very passionate about. I also remind him I need to fill another 19 minutes.

I am passionate about them because I think they are a worthwhile form of active transport, and I really do not understand why Melbourne – it is not a state government issue; Liberal, Labor, whatever – as a local government area is not embracing them more given other cities do. I understand why Sydney has issues, because topographically Sydney is pretty difficult to get around outside the CBD, and the streets are narrow. Although Brisbane has them, the top end of the Brisbane CBD towards Roma Street and up to Spring Hill really is quite hilly, and it would be very difficult for them to operate. But in Melbourne through our CBD area, particularly along the Yarra and Southbank, e-scooters are a fabulous opportunity.

I have used e-scooters in a number of cities, and I want to talk about some of those experiences. Recently when I was in Darwin – hot and steamy, as it is, Darwin – I had to get around from where I was on the Esplanade. I had a couple of meetings up at the Parliament, at the Legislative Assembly. I wandered down and, like with everything you do in Darwin, you think it is fine as a southerner and then you realise you need to change your shirt because you have been walking outside and the 9000 ‍per cent humidity has not been friendly to your Victorian view of weather. You have turned up thinking, ‘Oh, I don’t need a jacket, but I’ve got a long-sleeved shirt,’ to which most Territorians, quizzically looking at you and laughing, say you must be from the south. That is correct. Then on the way back I got an e-scooter, and the e-scooter was fabulous because of course you do not have to put up with the obvious, which is exerting yourself in that kind of weather.

That aside, the Darwin e-scooters are actually a very good system. They are Beam scooters. They are speed limited to 15 kilometres an hour. I rode them from midway up the Esplanade down to the Legislative Assembly across the road. I walked and then grabbed another e-scooter to a meeting I had all the way out in Cullen Bay, which is about 3 kilometres away, which is a lot for Darwin. They are very, very easy to get around on. They are speed limited to 10 kilometres an hour in certain areas through Cullen Bay. Then, getting back on the e-scooter, I probably looked a little strange to most of the passers-by, going north past Mindil Beach as I was going up to Fannie Bay to another meeting, 5 or 6 k’s out of town. I am pointing out here the convenience around a central business area. Darwin is fairly flat topographically – not entirely – and they can be used fairly well. So I was quite pleased to use e-scooters around Darwin.

With my son on a private holiday I have used them on the Gold Coast. Everyone likes going to the Gold Coast. It is a great place to get away. The e-scooters make it much easier, if you want to grab a bite to eat and are staying in Surfers, to head down to Broadbeach. Rather than walking it – my son is a teenager, and he looks at you with great disdain if you offer the concept of walking more than 500 ‍metres – you can grab the e-scooters. Again I point out for the house’s benefit the use in tourism. Their use not in a business context but in a tourist context means we have other options available. Melbourne could be exactly the same, with the potential of taking an e-scooter down to St Kilda or down to Docklands if you are staying in town or up to the northern suburbs. Particularly now that we have these bike lanes – and I know some people love to hate them and some people love to love them ‍– there is another possibility. If they can be used and can be used properly, then use them.

I was in bike lanes all the way to Fannie Bay in Darwin. I was in bike lanes through certain parts of the Gold Coast. They were very helpful and provided a level of security to those people like me seeking to ride in them. Recently I was in Adelaide, which has a wonderful CBD similar to Melbourne’s – obviously the light grid makes Adelaide very easy to navigate – and I used scooters around Adelaide. They were Beam scooters again, the same company as in Darwin and similar to what could be the case in Melbourne. They are also speed limited through the CBD area to around 15 kilometres an hour, which is what you would call a light jog in terms of pace for someone like me if I am not thinking otherwise, so the scooters are quite safe and easily operated.

The difference between Adelaide, Darwin and the Gold Coast and other examples which I will mention is that those scooters can be left anywhere. There is an app which you download on your phone and link your credit card to. Those scooters can be left, for instance, out the front of an apartment block. You simply take a photo and it clicks back and gives you an approval as to whether that is an appropriate place to leave it. This causes much consternation in Melbourne. I understand this. People say if they do not have docking ports, then people will leave them everywhere. I do not always think that is the case. In some cities they have teams from these companies who go around, find the scooters, attach them to the back of a trailer and then take them to a central point to be recharged and put back in certain locations.

But there are other ways, and I want to talk for a little bit if I can about the e-scooters, e-bikes and pushbikes that are hired at docking points and returned only to docking points in Buenos Aires in Argentina, which I think is a huge opportunity in markets for Australia and particularly for Victoria. I say at many opportunities that I think the South American market is hugely untapped for our state, and there is huge advantage in farming, education and commerce. There are huge opportunities for us which we as a country do not focus on but should. I note people are starting to look at Brazil, and maybe Chile because of APEC, but we should be doing the same with Argentina, whose economy is starting to rebound.

What they have in Buenos Aires gets around the issue of people just leaving bikes anywhere. I would urge the government to consider it, although I do not think it is crucial to any part of this bill. The method in Buenos Aires is there are large ports for the company, Ecobici. You literally walk down, download the app – there is an English translation for it – and have the option. It will be a third, a third, a third of e-bikes, pushbikes and e-scooters, and you can take your pick. The member for Narracan and I – we were in Argentina going from one meeting to the next – had a long walk up to Palermo towards the Australian embassy and lo and behold came across these bikes in their ports. I had used them before but never like this. They had been cleaned up and put into the docking stations, and a very polite local explained to us not only the app and how to use it but importantly that you have to return them to the docking stations. You can go in effect from station to station, and there are lots of stations, so it is not as if there are a few. There were many around. If you do not return them to a station, you incur a fine after I think about 48 hours. It is a very good system. It was funny turning up to the Australian embassy on an e-bike or e-scooter, but you do.

Mathew Hilakari interjected.

Matthew GUY: He and I, the member for Point Cook should be informed, both used e-scooters and both used them quite comfortably. At one other stage when there were none left we used pushbikes. The point is we had other options: taxis, Uber or the subway – the subway was harder to get – but we chose these as a method to go from meeting to meeting. It seems a bit lighthearted, but it becomes a method of active transport. This is why I say this is a method that must be considered. Here we are as a perfect example: well dressed and going from meeting to meeting.

Members interjecting.

Matthew GUY: Well, it was. But I do say this: we were not alone. There were many people doing this, and they were not just locals. People would get these bikes and go from Puerto Madero, which is the port area, up to places where we were going. Another meeting was over towards the National Congress, which was a little more difficult through some of the busy streets, but people get used to them. What it tells you is that in these cities – and these are a little faster, at about 25 k’s an hour – there are docking ports, and I think this is the key to what we should do in Victoria.

E-bikes, e-scooters and pushbikes being available for hire through, for example, the Ecobici app is a fabulous idea, but the most important thing is to have people’s mindsets of ‘Oh, they’re just going to be thrown in the Yarra’ put at ease. I do not want that either, and it is unsightly for the city. Having locations where you can dock, which you can clearly see on your phone on the app – and the legislation the government has put forward is asking for people to be able to be provided with that information, because it talks about technology that must be provided – I think can solve those problems. I think for Melbourne it could be a fabulous idea. You could go up to a port, which might be, for instance, in the gardens next to Parliament. You might hire five of these as a group, do your run around Melbourne on the scooters and at the end of the day return them to where you are staying, which might be in Docklands, or come back to Melbourne. You can also reserve them, importantly. You can click on ‘reserve’ on the e-scooter and come back in an hour, if you are at a meeting. You get a nominal charge, but it reserves it.

That to me is a fabulous way of using e-scooters for tourist potential or visiting professionals potential throughout the central business district or downtown, in inner-city areas of Melbourne and further out towards places like Footscray that are not that far out. When the works are all concluded, you will be able to move out there fairly easily on these paths and to the inner north and to the inner south, which I know are well blessed with bike paths not just along the bay but also along some of the major roads. There is so much potential, and that is why I am very positive about this as an idea. We have to look at options and we have to look at opportunities outside of just what is conventional transport.

I took e-scooters when I was in Santiago in Chile recently, on the way through to Buenos Aires. The reason I want to mention this is because in the downtown area of Santiago the Chilean government has noted – and I have got to get the figure right, because I was stunned – a 30 per cent reduction over certain periods in certain areas of car use. What they are getting are huge numbers, for instance, of students. I understand the impression of Santiago is always that it would be hilly as it is in the Andes, but it is in a bowl, so most of the city is fairly flat. When you get out of it, it starts to get hilly, but if you are in the downtown area you can move around very easily, and there are waves of scooters.

I am talking about an evidence-based approach from a reasonably sensible and modern government who are saying these e-scooters and their use have had a dramatic impact, particularly through the area of Providencia. They have had a major impact upon car usage. I think this is a tremendous example. I was jet-lagged and wanted to see a certain fascinating building. I got up at 4:15 in the morning and thought, ‘Well, it’s 4:15, but I’m on Melbourne time. It’s 6 at night,’ or whatever it was, so I went downstairs and got myself an e-scooter. I rode, I think it was, about 8 or 9 kilometres to Vitacura on the foothills of the Andes, which must have really freaked out some of the car drivers. I went around roundabouts at 25 k’s an hour on an e-scooter in 3 degrees, and my hands were certainly aware of it by the end of that trip. But using them is a way of getting around without taking a taxi or taking public transport if they are not available at that time. That is another option I would put forward. They did not have docking points like Buenos Aires, but they did have the scooters. The Lime app, which is in Santiago, is exceptionally good and very easy to use. I would use them again. I think I used them a couple of times in Santiago as a result.

I say it again for the purpose of discussion on this bill and from an evidence-based approach: they were an exceptionally good way of getting through and getting around. It was a foreign city to me, but I had my phone sitting on the portal, which was in front of me in a little holder. There you can put on your Google Maps and it tells you exactly where you are going. So I had my Google Maps, knowing exactly how to get from Providencia to Vitacura in front of me. It might have been late, but I had the speedo and the battery design in front of me and I was running on a bike lane. It made it exceptionally easy. Melbourne should have the same.

Geelong is hillier topographically, but it would be worthwhile in some of our major regional centres like Ballarat and Bendigo – particularly Bendigo.

Juliana Addison interjected.

Matthew GUY: You have got some in Ballarat? I am sorry, I have not used them in Ballarat. The member for Wendouree will correct me, I am sure. But the point is we have the opportunities to use them, and I would encourage councils to keep doing so.

I would also in my last few minutes encourage the government to look at furthering some of the discussions around how we can encourage councils throughout Melbourne to work together on the use of these scooters. In Buenos Aires they have the same issue we have in Melbourne. They have one area, the central government area of the city, which is like Brisbane City Council – it is fairly large – but you cannot take the scooters beyond the boundary, because they would enter another province. Most of the urban metropolitan area is outside of the city limit, and the contract for Ecobici is only within the city of Buenos Aires as opposed to the metropolitan area, even though it is a flat city and you can run up the Rio de la Plata fairly easily from meeting to meeting, when going out at night or whatever you want to do.

In Melbourne I would encourage the government to get local government operators to work together. For instance, I might be able to use a scooter that goes into the City of Yarra, into Hobsons Bay or into Bayside et cetera, but then there are docking ports so the scooters are not littered across locations, do not become unsightly and do not become a focus of disdain for what should be an exceptionally good method of getting around a city – particularly like Melbourne, which is large geographically, very large nowadays, but whose central city area is obviously congested. Nothing is going to solve that overnight, we know. But I urge having a look at the model of Santiago, which really is quite stunning for traffic levels through the downtown area, through Centro and Providencia, where traffic, particularly around the student areas and student zones, has massively reduced. That would only be a great positive for us if we are looking at emissions reductions and ways to have an integrated public transport system.

I just want to conclude with some remarks around public transport. We have bike storage, and bike storage is great at Bulleen park-and-ride, at most railway stations and at regional stations. It has been that way for many, many years in Victoria. Having docking ports or charging stations for e-scooters, particularly private scooters as well, would be just as helpful. What it would mean is that people would not say, ‘Well, if I rode my e-scooter to Bulleen park-and-ride’ – if you were in the City of Manningham – ‘it’s going to run out of battery by the time I get there and I’m going to be pushing it home or ringing a spouse, parents or whoever to come and get me because it’s run out.’ Most of them have a fairly universal charger – most, not all – but there could be a number of key charging ports where you can go and put your e-bike or e-scooter in a locker, put it on the charge, swipe your card or tap or whatever might be easiest way to pay for the cost of the charge – it might be a few dollars – and then be able to charge your e-scooter or e-bike at the location, at a park-and-ride or at a railway station, for instance, whether it be Ballarat, as the member for Wendouree said before, or somewhere else, and ride home knowing you have got a full charge.

My wife and I have got an electric car. One of the advantages of an electric car is that you come down every morning – it has been on off-peak charge – and it has a full tank of charge. It is a full charge by the morning. You can go anywhere with a full charge, and so I think it is incredibly convenient. Having the same option for an e-scooter or an e-bike would be fantastic because you would be able to take it that extra distance. In my area – the City of Manningham – it is pretty hilly, and that takes a lot of the juice out of the battery. I used to have to take my battery pack to my electorate office when it was in Bulleen. If I was riding my scooter from where I live 5 kilometres to my electorate office up and down hills, I would have to charge it at the electorate office. Assuming someone does not have the ability to do that when they are going to a park-and-ride, if there were universal charging points at the park-and-ride, then they would be able to take their e-scooter or e-bike, do the charge for the day and tap on for a charge at the facility. You might see it on an app – it might be a Lion app, an Ecobici app or a Beam app – that tells you it is fully charged when you come back to pick up your e-bike at the end of the day or whenever it might be. My point is that there are so many other options we should be going further with. It is a good start and a reasonable start to say we need to have a level of regulation around this – I totally understand, and we do not oppose it on this side of the house.

But what I do say is please take on some ideas for the future, for the department to go back and look at, on ways in which we can push the delivery of some of these e-scooters, e-bikes and bikes, because they are great ideas. In my view they are a really good method for transport and public transport, and they should be considered as such. I say it again: I understand why the government needs to put in place mechanisms for PSOs to make sure that people when they use them obey the law, because that is important, particularly for safety. But let us see if we can make some great strides forward as a Parliament to get e-scooters and e-bikes in particular as part of our broader active transport and public transport means into the future.

Josh BULL (Sunbury) (15:30): I am pleased to have the opportunity this afternoon to follow the member for Bulleen on the Transport Legislation Amendment (Vehicle Sharing Scheme Safety and Standards) Bill 2025. In my time in this place I have heard numerous half-hour contributions from the member for Bulleen, and that half hour actually went quite quickly. The member for Bulleen promised to take the tone down on this debate and he delivered on that. I thought it was a measured and quite respectful contribution to what is a change for our city and our state and what will be the continued rollout of e-scooters, e-bikes and the like.

Just as the previous member spoke about, I am personally a big fan of e-scooters and e-bikes. The opportunity to move around our cities, regional towns and local communities in a way that provides for greater accessibility, much easier access and in many respects the ability to move short distances and take those short journeys in a short space of time is something that I know is quite warmly welcomed across many communities. What is important, and the reason that we are bringing this legislation before the house this afternoon, goes to the regulation and safety standards and providing some certainty right across the board for councils, departments, local communities and, most importantly, those that use these devices. But certainly from my perspective the opportunity to link into existing modes of transport, to be able to use them at the end of a journey and the start of a journey and to, as I said earlier, move a short distance is very important.

There are certainly a number of cities, towns and regions across the world that have embraced in many ways the use of e-scooters and e-bikes. When doing some research this morning I found they are used in 130-plus cities in the US, and they are used widely throughout Europe and many other places right across the world. Working with private providers – and for personal use, if you have a scooter yourself ‍– to make sure, as has been mentioned already, that education, awareness, safety and training are part of the mix is, we know and understand, most important. Ensuring that those things are considered is the importance of the legislation that is before the house this afternoon.

The sustainability, the convenience, the accessibility, the affordability and of course the measures around safety and regulation go to what has been a journey, certainly through the late 1990s and into the early 2000s as battery technology has improved, as the use of e-scooters and e-bikes has evolved. We have seen this roll out across communities as individuals wanting to take them up has resulted in increased use.

This bill before the house goes to some of the regulations and safety standards, making sure that we are implementing a comprehensive and robust set of rules to regulate the use of e-scooters, rules that are aimed at protecting both riders and the public. What we know is the current regulatory framework for e-scooter riding in Victoria is the strongest compared to other jurisdictions, promoting responsible use of e-scooters across the network. These rules are practical, safety focused and aligned with best international practice. Whilst many e-scooters are privately owned, a common way of using them, and the previous member spoke about this extensively, is through app-based sharing schemes. Under these schemes devices are available for hire in public places, and operators of such schemes have a role to play in ensuring that road rules are followed and that they do not adversely impact the amenity of local areas that their devices are available in. The bill delivers on our commitment to improve e-scooter safety and compliance through amendments to the Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act ‍1983 by setting up a prequalification regulatory framework for prospective share scheme operators. Under the framework operators of e-scooter sharing schemes will be required to comply with the safety standards, as I mentioned earlier, and obtain approval from the Secretary of the Department of Transport and Planning in addition to the existing requirement of having an agreement with the local council.

That takes us to the municipal arrangements around the use of e-scooters and making sure that councils are supported but also support the use and the rollout, providing local residents with that certainty and surety. And it is a shared agreement, so ensuring that those that provide the vehicles are making sure that they are fit for purpose, that they are safe and that they are serviced but also making sure that there is some compliance around the way that we do that is very important.

Within the legislation there is also, as was mentioned earlier, powers for protective services officers to enforce e-scooter rules, and this recognises the need for improved compliance with the road rules. The government has committed to strengthening enforcement capability. This is achieved by the bill amending the Road Safety Act 1986 to provide protective services officers with the power to serve infringement notices for road safety offences that involve e-scooters. That goes to matters such as wearing a helmet.

Just moving around this city and other cities across this country, and the previous member also spoke about travel in other cities across the globe, what is clear is that the use of e-scooters is here to stay. With the significant and large-scale investments that this government is making in transport right across the state, making sure as we have got a growing population we are connecting local communities through road and rail, ensuring that shorter travel – that goes to the use of e-scooters and e-bikes and the like – is safe and is well regulated is something that I believe is warmly welcomed across the community. All of those matters go to the provision for certainty and for making sure that those arrangements are in place and give legal certainty to private providers but also to those that have the devices themselves. Making sure that that is something that is done within our state is a very important matter. For those reasons, and many others, I am supporting this bill.

In the time that I have got remaining I am going to what I think is a practical view of these matters, and certainly we have seen examples where things do go wrong and we know that on all matters when it comes to transport accidents do happen. Ensuring that those safety provisions are in place, provisions around the management of PSOs and the enforcement and additional powers, and making sure that education and driver education are there as well are incredibly important. We have got an opportunity through this legislation to enable people to move around local communities, cities and our state safer and better, and for those reasons we know that the changes that are contained in this bill will go to providing what I believe will be an effective and safe method for people to move around.

It was not quite the half an hour that the member for Bulleen delivered – I only had 10 minutes – but with those comments I commend the bill to the house, thank everybody for their work and wish it a safe passage.

Emma KEALY (Lowan) (15:40): I rise today to speak on the Transport Legislation Amendment (Vehicle Sharing Scheme Safety and Standards) Bill 2025. Given everybody seems to be telling their e-scooter stories, about how they are used in various cities around the world and in Australia, I think that I really should make a point in this debate to actually announce that I am an early adopter of scooters. Before there were e-scooters, there were scooters, and back when I lived in Alice Springs, my dear darling father managed to pull out a small petrol one – it was actually on a little lawnmower engine. It was over 20 years ago now. I was scooting around the streets of Alice Springs between my house and the hospital where I worked in pathology, and it was a lot of fun. It was potentially quite dangerous at the time. There were certainly no rules around how scooters were used at that point in time. The biggest questions were if it was too great of an engine size to be ridden on the footpath or had to be ridden on the road, and did you need a licence to be able to ride it? Fortunately I had a licence, so that was not the reason –

Wayne Farnham interjected.

Emma KEALY: No. I take up the interjection, which I know is unparliamentary of me, but the member for Narracan has asked: did I take the scooter to the pub? No, I did not. But I did use it, and it was incredibly useful. It was a great form of transport, and that is a reason that we have now seen batteries developed over that time and we now have the evolution of e-scooters. They are a fabulous way to get around. They are an enormous amount of fun. I think that Brisbane does it best. I like the way that they manage the e-scooters, in that they are always visible in the streets and around the parklands and along the promenade there. The e-scooter companies have an obligation to keep the scooters neat and tidy on the side. They are always lined up very beautifully. They are not in the road at all, and they are not lying down on their side. They are managed very, very well and they always have a full charge when you are looking to take one or to hire one. I think that there is possibly an opportunity here for Victoria to take a leaf out of Brisbane and Queensland’s book when it comes to the management of scooters in particular.

There are some elements that I would like to build upon around the theme that I think that this is a good piece of legislation. I think that e-scooters are a great form of transportation for many, many reasons, as was well covered off by the member for Bulleen, but I think there are some concerns that need to come through as well. We still have some safety concerns around risks for e-scooter riders and for the broader community, whether they are pedestrians or whether they are fellow road users, not just in Melbourne but around the state, and there might be some missed opportunities in terms of the scope of this legislation where the government could have gone further, and also around structurally how we make sure that our roads are safe and fit for purpose for scooter riders.

I would first like to touch on that exact point, which is around road safety. There are a number of amendments within this legislation which go back to the road rules and also the relevant Road Safety Act 1986. For our cars, we know that they need to have a roadworthy certificate. Our cars must be roadworthy to go on the roads. However, our roads do not need to be car worthy. Unfortunately, across vast areas of this state, in all corners of the state, our roads simply are not up to scratch. We see more and more potholes, we see crumbling edges and we see rutting of roads, which is where the tyre marks carve out a section of the highway in particular.

If you want an example of that, travel to Horsham, my hometown, where I live, the largest community in my electorate of Lowan, and have a look at the intersection of Baillie Street and McPherson Street. This has got an area which is terribly rutted. It is on the Western Highway, which is the main highway between Adelaide and Melbourne. It is in fact the second busiest highway in Australia. There were some works undertaken a matter of weeks ago in relation to removing some of the dangerous rutting at the traffic light at the intersection of Baillie Street and McPherson Street. And you would not believe it, but only a couple of weeks later we are seeing those ruts come back into play. This is something that is not a surprise for the contractors that we used. In fact they were speaking to local businesspeople. They actually took the labelling off their vehicles when they were fixing that road. They knew that the road was going to fall apart because they had not been given enough money from the Allan Labor government to fix that intersection properly and make that road safe. The scope of works that was issued to them, they knew, was not up to the standard that would be able to handle the heavy vehicle traffic that turns at that corner.

This is a concern, and it is something that we hear time and time again. We are simply seeing perpetual cuts to the road asset management budget. We are heading up to another budget this year, and it does greatly concern me that we will see yet another round of funding cuts for road asset management. VicRoads do the best that they can with the money that they have got. They simply cannot make money out of thin air. They can only do the roads and fix the potholes and fix the crumbling edges with the budget they are given. Labor perpetually takes money out of the country Victorian areas, out of some of those regional road areas, and puts it into that great, big burrow, that great big hole in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. We do not get it out in the country. In fact most of Melbourne does not see much of that money. It is essential that we make sure that we have safe roads, because we know that safer country roads will save country lives.

Speaking of the roads budget, the road resurfacing spend is down 82 per cent in Victoria. Ninety-one per cent of roads are in poor or very poor condition; this is according to the government’s own survey. We hear in our offices so many times from people who have got either flat tyres or, getting even further, rims cracked or smashed altogether, and we hear of terrible accidents that can be directly attributed to the condition of the roads. In fact recently I heard of a situation where there was an incident – a truck crash on the Western Highway. Officially it is set down as a medical incident on the part of the driver, but that medical incident was that he drove through a pothole that was so significant that he hit his head on the steering wheel, and it rendered him unconscious. That is what the real cause of the accident was. It was the poor condition of the road.

The Western Highway continues to miss out on funding. We were supposed to see that road duplicated in full down to at least Stawell back in 2016. We still have not seen the appropriate level of funding from the Allan Labor government in Victoria delivered to that project. The sad consequence of that is that we see so many accidents, and there was yet another fatality only a couple of weeks ago. This road must be fixed. There are too many lives being lost. It is a matter of priority for any government, state or federal. No matter what colour you are, just fix that road. It is just too dangerous, and I have seen too many people involved in accidents along that section.

As I mentioned earlier, I feel that there is a missed opportunity in relation to the management of e-scooters. The member for Bulleen spoke about docking stations, which would be very useful because you could charge the scooters at the same time. We do need to look at the enhanced management of scooters. Whether it is e-bikes or e-scooters, I see too many of them in the streets of Melbourne that are on footpaths and even on roads or lying out in our beautiful parklands. We need to put a greater onus on the operators of these e-scooter and e-bike businesses so that they take responsibility for keeping their assets in good order, so they are not thrown in the Yarra, not lying around our beautiful parks, not on footpaths and not on roadways. They need to make sure that they are in places which are convenient to pedestrians or potential e-scooter or e-bike users but are also nice and neat and do not pose a risk to the community, to other pedestrians, to other e-scooter and e-bike users and to people who are in vehicles.

My third point is around how this is more cost shifting to local government. One of the greatest cost-shifting issues that our local governments have got at the moment is that they do not know how on earth they are going to be able to manage this new great big volunteers tax that the government is busy putting on farmers across our state. It is up to local government to work out how this money will be managed. It is an enormous amount of money that will be coming in. In fact it is over $100 million each and every year that will be taken from country Victoria and plugged into Melbourne core government services. Councils in my region have flagged that they are very, very concerned that they will be the ones who will be left to manage which volunteers’ residences will then receive this potential for a section of their tax to be reduced or rebated. There is concern, and I received a message only earlier today from a volunteer saying they do not even think Labor will deliver on this promise that there will be any relief at all for volunteers around this tax, because we have seen time and time again that Labor cannot manage money and it is consistently Victorians that have to pay the price. Whether it is through their pockets – paying more taxes – whether it is about driving on terrible roads or whether it is about substandard health services, Labor always makes Victorians pay the price.

Luba GRIGOROVITCH (Kororoit) (15:51): It gives me great pleasure to rise and speak to this bill today, the Transport Legislation Amendment (Vehicle Sharing Scheme Safety and Standards) Bill ‍2025. As the member for Lowan did just say, road safety is absolutely paramount to all of us. I do not think anyone in this place or the other would ever debate or question that. The transport legislation amendment bill has two main focuses, one being on regulation of e-scooters, the sharing scheme, and also the enforcement of the e-scooter road safety rules. I have got to say I know that in my electorate of Kororoit we have got e-scooters out there. We have got them in many of the surrounding councils and local government areas as well as here in Melbourne, which is great. It really is a form of transport that allows people – young and old – to get around. I was speaking to some of my staff about this bill, and one of the young women in my office mentioned that she often uses e-scooters at night because it is a lot easier to get around the city. Sometimes if the trams are packed or the train is packed, she finds it quite simple to go from point A to B. That seems to be the flavour of many, many people that I have spoken to. I know my young one absolutely loves scooters, and my husband actually used an e-scooter during the election to help me pamphlet, so there are many modes by which you can use them, but they are definitely a good mode of transport.

This legislation is not merely an administrative update. It is also a crucial step forward in ensuring the safety, efficiency and sustainability of our transport network. As our cities grow and evolve, so must our laws. The expansion of vehicle sharing schemes has presented incredible opportunities but also significant challenges – challenges that this bill aims to address with comprehensive and well-reasoned reforms. We must take decisive action to ensure that innovation in transport aligns with the principles of safety, accessibility and of course sustainability.

I am sure that we all know that e-scooters have become increasingly popular as a convenient mode of transport, and Victoria’s e-scooter sharing schemes have been among the most successful in the world. There is no doubt that these vehicle sharing schemes have transformed urban mobility, providing affordable and flexible transportation options to reduce congestion and of course improve the environment. The benefits of these schemes extend beyond convenience. They contribute to reducing our reliance on private car ownership, which in turn obviously alleviates traffic and reduces emissions.

However, the rapid growth of these schemes has outpaced existing regulatory frameworks, leading to safety risks, inconsistent service standards and gaps in accountability. Without robust regulation we risk allowing unsafe vehicles on our roads, jeopardising the safety of passengers and pedestrians alike. Unregulated expansion can result in an increase in poorly maintained vehicles, improper parking and reckless riding behaviour. As those who have spoken prior to me have said, too often we see e-scooters around the streets, and that is something that nobody likes. I remember reading a big article a few years back about so many e-scooters being in the river just up near Southbank – something that we cannot have.

Victoria currently has the strongest regulatory framework for e-scooter riding compared to other jurisdictions, promoting responsible usage within our transport network, but these rules are practical. They are safety focused and aligned with international best practices. They ensure that operators uphold the highest safety standards while enabling individuals to enjoy the convenience and affordability of vehicle sharing services. This bill delivers on the Allan Labor government’s commitment to improving e-scooter safety and compliance and will strengthen the regulatory environment for vehicle sharing schemes. One of the most critical provisions of this bill is the introduction of stricter safety requirements for shared vehicles.

Operators will now be required to conduct regular inspections and ensure that vehicles meet higher maintenance standards. Existing and new operators will need to apply to the secretary of the department and provide evidence that they can comply with safety standards and that they are deemed a fit and proper entity. The preapproval process will support local councils in selecting share scheme operators to operate in their municipalities by providing assurances that the operators have and implement the required safety measures and technologies. This change addresses growing concerns about poorly maintained vehicles posing risks to users and of course other road users. Numerous reports have documented incidents where mechanical failures have led to accidents, and this bill will help mitigate such risks. By ensuring that shared vehicles meet stringent safety criteria we protect not only those who use these services but also everyone who is sharing the road with them.

Recognising the need for improved compliance with road rules, the Allan Labor government has committed to strengthening enforcement capability. The bill will also amend the Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983 to enable the prescribing of scheme standards, which are the minimum safety standards, technologies and requirements for vehicle sharing scheme operators. There continue to be issues with hired e-scooters being ridden on footpaths, being parked in a way that blocks access, introducing tripping hazards or otherwise impacting the amenity of public spaces. The sharing scheme standards will address these issues by requiring operators to implement systems, technologies and other safety measures, and these standards will be mandatory. These standards will cover requirements for vehicles and devices available under a sharing scheme, standards and requirements for footpath detection, proper parking of devices, helmet use, use of vehicles outside a permitted area and detection and prevention of intoxicated riders. These measures are designed to ensure that public spaces remain accessible and safe for all members of our community. Ensuring that shared vehicles are used responsibly is not just a matter of convenience. It is a fundamental public safety concern.

In various cities worldwide unregulated vehicle sharing schemes have resulted in an influx of poorly maintained vehicles causing safety hazards and operational inefficiencies. Numerous cases have emerged where users have been unfairly charged for pre-existing damage or technical failures, highlighting the need for clearer consumer protections. This bill introduces clear guidelines regarding liability and consumer rights. Users must be informed of their rights and responsibilities, ensuring they are not unfairly penalised for issues beyond their control. Additionally, new provisions will ensure that users have access to efficient and transparent dispute resolution mechanisms. Many users of vehicle sharing services have encountered difficulties in resolving disputes, particularly regarding unexpected charges and service malfunctions. This bill will provide a clearer legal framework to handle such concerns, ensuring fair treatment for consumers. Strengthening consumer protections will encourage more people to utilise these services, fostering greater adoption of sustainable transportation options.

A well-regulated vehicle sharing market builds consumer confidence, ensuring that the services remain an attractive alternative to private car ownership. By promoting vehicle sharing schemes as a viable alternative to private car ownership, this bill aligns with broader sustainability goals. Shared mobility reduces the number of vehicles on the road, leading to decreased traffic congestion and lower carbon emissions. The amendments also introduce incentives for operators who adopt electric or low-emission vehicles, ensuring that environmental benefits are maximised. Encouraging cleaner transportation options will contribute to our long-term environmental goals and improve air quality in urban areas. These measures underscore the Allan Labor government’s commitment to enhancing safety. Strict enforcement coupled with effective education ensures that vehicle sharing schemes contribute positively to urban mobility without introducing unnecessary risks.

Given that e-scooters are often used as the first- and last-kilometre connection to other public transport services, providing protective services officers with additional powers will serve to improve enforcement capability with existing resources and in turn support improved compliance by e-scooter riders. We must ensure that all elements of our transport network work together seamlessly to provide an efficient, safe and integrated system. In addition to these comprehensive regulations, the government is committed to ongoing education and awareness campaigns. These initiatives aim to inform the public about the safe and responsible use of e-scooters, highlighting the importance of following the rules and understanding the potential risks. By raising awareness we can foster a culture of safety and responsibility among e-scooter users and the public at large. Community engagement is essential in shaping positive transport habits and ensuring that new mobility solutions are embraced safely. E-scooters, particularly those made available under vehicle sharing schemes, are an important part of the transport system.

Business interrupted under sessional orders.