Dr Sophie Scamps, Federal Member for Mackellar, introduced the Safer E-Bikes Bill 2025 (Road Vehicle Standards Amendment) to Parliament on Monday September 1, calling for well-overdue reform to ensure e-bikes are safe, fit-for-purpose, and regulated under federal law.
The bill responds to widespread calls from parents, pedestrians and state politicians for the Federal Government to legislate national safety and import standards for e-bikes. Currently, e-bikes imported into Australia do not have to meet any national safety and quality standard.
“There has been growing community concern about unsafe, high-powered e-bikes being imported and sold without proper oversight. Many new generation e-bikes can be easily modified to exceed legal speed limits, and are being ridden illegally, often unknowingly, on footpaths and roads, posing serious risks to riders, pedestrians and drivers,” said Dr Scamps.
At a recent sold-out community forum hosted by Dr Scamps and Pittwater State MP Jacqui Scruby, trauma surgeons, police, and transport experts highlighted the alarming rise in injuries and enforcement challenges linked to illegal and non-compliant e-bikes.
See: Scruby-Scamps Bring Community Together to Tackle E-Bike Safety - August 2025
This is backed up by research from St Vincent’s Hospital which reported that more than 500 e-bike riders had required critical care in NSW EDs in a two-year period.
“E-bikes have revolutionised the way we move around. They are an important part of the shift to cleaner, more active transport, but the technology has raced ahead of safety legislation. We now often see e-bikes that are more motorbike than bicycle being ridden at high speeds on footpaths and roads.”
“I am very worried we are going to see more tragedies involving pedestrians and riders of these powerful e-bikes unless we act urgently to introduce clear national safety standards,” Dr Scamps said.
The reform measures have broad support at the state level with New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland Government Ministers all having written to the Federal Government calling for national leadership on unsafe e-bike imports and the establishment of national safety standards.
“This bill is about ensuring the e-bikes imported into Australia are both safe and legal for use and cannot be tampered with to make them go beyond legal speed limits except for specific special purposes.
My Bill would set a clear, practical federal standard to ensure e-bikes can play their part in a cleaner transport future, without compromising the safety of pedestrians or riders,” shared Dr Scamps.
The Bill will:
- Bring e-bikes under the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018, classifying them as road vehicles and requiring them to meet key safety standards when being imported.
- Require the Minister to establish national safety standards for both standard and powerful e-bikes, based on the European Standard EN15194 - the current global best practice standard.
- Ensure safety features such as operational pedal cranks, anti-tampering protections, and speed limits are mandated by the new standard.
Nicolette Boele, Independent Member for Bradfield, who seconded the Bill, said:
“Across our cities and suburbs, more Australians are choosing e-bikes. They are often a practical, affordable and sustainable alternative to commuting while providing that little bit of incidental exercise on the way to school or work. But as technology has advanced, delivering greater speed and power, our import and safety standards have failed to keep up. Even bikes with speed and power limits on them are easily modified. A recent Transport for NSW study found that 38 per cent of riders had tampered with their bikes, a figure rising to 57 per cent among 18- to 29-year-olds.
This bill is not about cracking down on e-bikes. I love them, and I wish more people used them. It's about ensuring that the roughly 260,000—and growing—e-bikes imported to Australia each year meet national import standards and are equipped with basic safety designs and antitampering protections. That's it. The Road Vehicle Standards Amendment (Safer E-Bikes) Bill 2025 does this.
I want to reiterate that this bill is not about curbing the use of e-bikes. This bill simply brings e-bikes into line with safety expectations and clarifies ambiguity surrounding their usage. Implementing this will prevent countless injuries and, no doubt, save lives. I commend the member for Mackellar for bringing this legislation forward, and I commend the bill to the House.''
Bicycle Industries Australia (BIA) and We Ride Australia joined the local MP's in Canberra on Monday to support the Road Vehicle Standards Amendment (Safer E‑Bikes) Bill 2025 tabled by the Member for Mackellar, Dr Sophie Scamps.
Peter Bourke, General Manager of Bicycle Industries Australia, said:
“The Australian bicycle sector has called on the Government to roll back the 2021 changes that have allowed significant numbers of non-compliant e-bikes to be imported into the country.
We recently wrote to the federal Minister for Transport, Catherine King and the Treasurer with Australian bicycle organisations asking them to them to stop the import of non-compliant e-bikes into this country.
We must ensure e-bikes sold to the public cannot be tampered with to increase speed and that the entire bike is subject to a compulsory ‘whole-of-bike’ standard we know will keep children, riders and pedestrians safe.
This is why we are pleased to stand with the Member for Mackellar as she tables this Bill today.”
The bicycle sector letter of 31 July called on the federal Minister to:
- re-establish an e-bike vehicle category within the Road Vehicle Standards act,
- require evidence of compliance for every e-bike imported, and
- update the definition of an e-bike to conform to EN15194, the accepted global standard for such vehicles. This is overwhelmingly the standard in use internationally that ensures the whole bike is covered by a standard for structural, mechanical and electrical safety.
Above: Peter Bourke addresses media in the Mural Hall at Parliament House on Monday, 1st September. Behind Peter from left to right are Nicolette Boele MP, Dr Monique Ryan MP, Allegra Spender MP and Dr Sophie Scamps MP, who tabled the Bill in Parliament. Photo: Bicycle Industries Australia, supplied.
Stephen Hodge, Director of National Advocacy at WeRide Australia, said:
"This Bill is about making sure every bike imported into Australia is safe. Whether it’s the parent who is taking their children to school or using their bike to get to work, shops or visit friends, e-bikes are making a difference every day in Australia.”
The time allotted for debate having expired, the debate was adjourned and the resumption will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.
However, on the Tuesday, September 2 2025, Dr. Scamps, during the Questions without Notice session, cited the Bill she had tabled the day before and asked the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, the Hon. Catherine King will she act to ensure imported e-bikes are safe before there are further tragedies, including in my electorate of Mackellar.
Ms King acknowledged the benefits of these devices but that they also bring risks.
''I know we have recently seen a number of tragic incidents involving e-bikes and e-scooters. They are the subject of inquiries in both Queensland—I acknowledge the Queensland members of parliament who are here—and WA at the moment, because it has largely been states' and territories' regulatory systems that have seen e-bikes and e-scooters allowed in a range of settings across our local communities.'' the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government stated.
''As I understand the member's private member's bill, it focuses on listing specific types of mobility devices as road vehicles under a system that has largely been designed for cars and trucks on roads. It is clear that a broader and coordinated national system is needed for both the safer use and the regulation of these devices. It is why, at the meeting of state and territory transport ministers last month, I placed this issue on the agenda.
At the meeting, state and territory ministers agreed to develop an integrated regulatory framework for these devices to improve rider and pedestrian safety. That work is being led by the Western Australian government with support from the National Transport Commission. It will consider issues including compliance, regulation, rules for use, and the development and ongoing monitoring of standards. This work will report back to infrastructure and transport ministers later this year.'' the Hon. Catherine King said
''Additionally, there have also been concerns raised around fires caused by poor-quality lithium-ion batteries. Work is currently already underway through the Consumer Ministers Network on a national approach to the safe use of lithium-ion batteries in these devices under the Australian Consumer Law.'' the Hon. Catherine King stated in reply.