IBUG has written to candidates in Cunningham and Whitlam to gauge their support for active transport.
1. Increased per capita funding for active transport to $15/year: This investment would amount to around $400 million per year, a significant increase in funding for active transport, but still small compared with the total amount spent on roads (for comparison, per capita funding for roads is estimated to be around $714 per capita per year).
2. Instituting national targets for mode shift to active transport: These targets should be monitored and reported against annually to ensure progress.
3. Enforcing safe and compliant e-mobility: Restrictions should be placed on the importation of illegal devices that threaten to undermine e-mobility progress and increase the risk of fires.
4. Using the taxation system to incentivise the take-up of e-bikes: The Fringe Benefits Tax exemption currently available for electric cars should be extended to e-bikes, and subsidies could be in the form of discounts and rebates for purchase.
5. Introducing national subsidy schemes to encourage e-mobility: E-bikes should be included in any policy that subsidises EVs, as subsidising e-bikes is much cheaper for governments and e-bikes are much more affordable than electric cars.
Thanks Jess and we hope to hear from other candidates in the lead up to this weekend’s federal election.
