Australian Vote4Cycling Partnership Campaign Update

Media Release – 28 August 2013

Vote4Cycling was launched on 14 August by 23 cycling organisations to provide an election guide for the 4 million Australians who cycle in any given week. Two weeks in:

50 Candidates from 40 electorates have so far posted their positions on vote4cycling.com.au.

• Oxley in QLD leads with 4 candidates;
• Aston, McMillan, Sturt, Berowra, Greenway, Bennelong and Makin have 2 each.

NSW leads the candidate count with 17 posting their positions for cycling. VIC has 12, QLD has 11 and SA has 5.

The Palmer United Party leads our political party count with 19 candidates posting their positions on Vote4Cycling. The Greens have 18 candidates, Labor has 10, Liberal-Coalition 1, other parties 2.

Two Ministers, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus QC (Isaacs) and Parliamentary Sec to the Treasurer, Bernie Ripoll (Oxley), have posted their positions for cycling, as have another 4 sitting MPs; Stephen Jones (Throsby), Adam Bandt (Melbourne), Michelle Rowland (Greenway) and Dr Andrew Leigh (Fraser). No Coalition MPs have posted a position on cycling at the time this update was prepared.

POLICY

Labor made an announcement on 23 August for the Barwon to Bay Cycleway which will cost $1.03m. Labor’s credentials in the area of cycling and active transport build on initiatives undertaken over the course of the last two terms of government and are outlined on our Major Party Policies page.

Liberal Coalition has told Vote4Cycling that ‘a future Liberal Coalition Government will take into consideration the requirements and safety of non-motor vehicle uses which includes bikes and pedestrians in federal funding of major roads’. On 22 August, its Road Safety Policy recognised ‘road safety for cyclists as a priority’.

The Greens says they want ‘more high quality footpaths, bike paths and lanes to encourage walking, cycling and public transport use’ and their policy platform promises, among other points, to ‘spend around …. 30% (of the transport budget) on public and active transport’.

The Australian Christians are the only other party to have specific policy in favour of cycling, ‘to spend significantly more on improving cycle ways and facilities for cyclists’.

In the last week of the 2013 election campaign Vote4Cycling will release a final update on candidates, promises and party policies on cycling for the election.

Vote4Cycling Campaign Media contact: Stephen Hodge Mob. 0411 149 910 Web: www.vote4cycling.com.au