FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, 9 August 2010

Office workers, mums, dads, motorcycles and scooters
to converge on Parliament.

On that day, at 12 noon, the street in front of the NSW Parliament will be awash with motorcycle and scooter riders of all ages who will have gathered to show parliamentarians their disgust at the blatant cash-grab that has become the Compulsory Third Party (CTP) scheme under the Keneally government.

View full article here

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NSW GOVERNMENT FAILS THE STATE’S MOTORCYCLISTS ONCE AGAIN
21 July 2010

With the arrival of new mobile speed cameras, and the RTA’s proposed new 4km/h tolerance limit for all speeding offences, it is time to take an objective look at the facts the speed-camera-revenue-addicted Keneally government is not telling us about motorcycles.

View full article here

22 June 2010

The Motorcycle Council of NSW (MCC of NSW) has today described the planned increases in motorcycle CTP premiums from July 1st, as further evidence of the failure of Governments to recognise motorcycles as a unique and independent road user group.

Whilst the MCC of NSW understands that changes to the old CTP system were necessary, and even worked with the Motor Accidents Authority (MAA) on these changes, the MCC of NSW has not been provided with any evidence that those drivers or riders causing CTP claims, can justify such extreme increases in prices in some classifications.

View full article here

Jan 11, 2010

Official figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) show that 115,981 motorcycles, scooters and all-terrain vehicles were sold last year – a decrease of 13.6 per cent (18,298 units) over 2008.

“Given the circumstances, this is a very solid result,” FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar said.

“The market has come off a very high base over the previous year, so the industry has certainly stood up well to the economic challenges,” he said.

“In fact, this is the fourth highest annual sales result on record and was achieved in tough economic circumstances,” Mr McKellar said.

“Some brands actually increased sales and deserve congratulations for that,” he said.

View full article here

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, 9 August 2010

MOTORCYCLE AND SCOOTER RIDERS
TO PROTEST THE CTP RIP-OFF ON
NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE DAY

The Motorcycle Council of NSW (MCC of NSW) has declared Tuesday, 31 August, 2010, to be National Motorcycle Day.

On that day, at 12 noon, the street in front of the NSW Parliament will be awash with motorcycle and scooter riders of all ages who will have gathered to show parliamentarians their disgust at the blatant cash-grab that has become the Compulsory Third Party (CTP) scheme under the Keneally government.

“I am calling on anyone who has ever enjoyed the freedom of a motorcycle or scooter to join us as we let the government of NSW and the insurance companies know we will not be their CTP cash-cows any longer,” said the chairman of the NSW Motorcycle Council, Rob Colligan.

“I am also calling on all car drivers for support as we all know drivers are also getting ripped off,” Mr Colligan continued. “For too long, the legislation that governs CTP , which is a wretched legacy from the Carr Government in 1999, has been letting the insurance companies do as they please without any transparency in what is a compulsory insurance scheme.”

Motorcycle parking has been arranged in Hospital Road, and if you aren’t riding to work, the MCC of NSW would encourage you to wear your helmet on the train, bus or ferry to show your support.

The MCC is also asking all motorcycle business to close their doors from 11am until 2pm in a display of unity

“August 31st will become the day that the people of NSW, led by motorcycle and scooter riders, tell the State Government and the Insurance Companies, that we have had enough of paying too much,” Mr Colligan stated. “A compulsory scheme should not be making insurance companies rich.”

THE MCC of NSW
United we ride - Divided we walk

For further information and all media enquiries please contact:
Rob Colligan – Chairman MCC of NSW
0401227731

The Motorcycle Council of NSW(MCC of NSW) was established in 1982 is the state’s pre-eminent motorcycle advisory group and represents 40,000 motorcycle riders from 38 social clubs and motorcycling organisations.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
04 August 2010

Office workers, mums, dads, motorcycles and scooters
to converge on Parliament

Changes to the NSW Compulsory Third Party (CTP) scheme on July 1st this year, saw motorcycle and scooter riders slugged with outrageous price increases. Some riders are facing increases of nearly 100%. This is despite a dramatic decrease in fatalities since 1995. Car drivers are now also beginning to question the CTP scheme.

• FACT: In 1995 there were 8.9 motorcycle fatalities per 10,000 registered motorcycles in NSW.
• FACT: In 2008 there were 3.7 motorcycle fatalities per 10,000 registered motorcycles in NSW.

There are almost 168,000 registered motorcycles in NSW and half a million motorcycle licence holders. There are more motorcycles and scooters on the road than ever and the road toll is going down. “With more bikes on our roads, we will continue to see a marked reduction in congestion, pollution and parking problems, especially in major cities like Sydney” the Chairman of the Motorcycle Council of NSW (MCC of NSW), Rob Colligan stated today. “But instead of promoting greener transport, motorcycles and scooters are being financially driven off the roads with massive increases in CTP premiums.”

The MCC of NSW is therefore calling upon all motorcycle and scooter owners, along with motorcycle industry representatives to converge on Parliament House at 12 noon on August 31st to protest this unfair and unjustified money-grab on one of the greenest forms of transport on our roads. “It is time for our political leaders to come clean on why they do not recognize motorcycles and scooters as unique and independent road users, instead of treating us as some sort of small car or some sort of problem,” Colligan said. “The Motorcycle Council of NSW would like to apologise to the people of Sydney for any inconvenience our protest may cause, but it is time for us all to stand up and be counted.”

The MCC of NSW has invited the Premier of NSW to address the protest, yet only the Shadow Minister for Roads, Andrew Stoner, has accepted the invitation. “The government can ensure insurance company profits do not undermine the CTP scheme and it is time for the Kenneally Government to answer to the people of NSW the hard question, of what is wrong with our CTP Scheme.” Colligan said.

THE MCC of NSW
United we ride - Divided we walk

For further information and all media enquiries please contact:
Rob Colligan – Chairman MCC of NSW
0401227731

The Motorcycle Council of NSW(MCC of NSW) was established in 1982 is the state’s pre-eminent motorcycle advisory group and represents 40,000 motorcycle riders from 38 social clubs and motorcycling organisations.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NSW GOVERNMENT FAILS THE STATE’S MOTORCYCLISTS ONCE AGAIN
21 July 2010

With the arrival of new mobile speed cameras, and the RTA’s proposed new 4km/h tolerance limit for all speeding offences, it is time to take an objective look at the facts the speed-camera-revenue-addicted Keneally government is not telling us about motorcycles.

• FACT: In 1995 there were 8.9 motorcycle fatalities per 10,000 registered motorcycles in NSW.
• FACT: In 2008 there were 3.7 motorcycle fatalities per 10,000 registered motorcycles in NSW.

There are more bikes on the road than ever and the road toll is going down. The RTA’s own statistics verify that. There is no “carnage” on our roads and there never has been. That is just a convenient catch-phrase the government wheels out whenever it wishes to bankroll its fiscal failures from the pockets of the state’s road-users. Despite this, motorcyclists’ CTP premiums are set to rise by over 84 per cent in some cases.

“Never in my 40 years of involvement in motorcycles have I seen riders so angry,” the chairman of the NSW Motorcycle Council said today. “On August 31st, 2010 NSW Parliament returns and thousands of annoyed motorcycle and scooter riders will be there to greet them.”

Motorcycle and scooter riders are a unique and independent road-user group and they are fed-up with being ignored and repeatedly failed by the NSW government, except when it needs money.

THE MCCofNSW
United we ride - Divided we walk

For further information and all media enquiries please contact:
Rob Colligan – Chairman MCCofNSW
0401 22 77 31

The Motorcycle Council of NSW (MCCofNSW) was established in 1982 is the state’s pre-eminent motorcycle advisory group and represents 40,000 motorcycle riders from 38 social clubs and motorcycling organisations.

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MEDIA RELEASE
22 June 2010

The Motorcycle Council of NSW (MCC of NSW) has today described the planned increases in motorcycle CTP premiums from July 1st, as further evidence of the failure of Governments to recognise motorcycles as a unique and independent road user group. Whilst the MCC of NSW understands that changes to the old CTP system were necessary, and even worked with the Motor Accidents Authority (MAA) on these changes, the MCC of NSW has not been provided with any evidence that those drivers or riders causing CTP claims, can justify such extreme increases in prices in some classifications.

Increases of 84% for younger riders on smaller 250cc motorcycles or even smaller scooters are being reported. The MCC of NSW can only assume that RTA crash statistics have been used erroneously to set the new CTP premiums, as they can find no publicly available data of the demographics of those riders or drivers whose at-fault crash has caused a CTP claim to arise.

With urban areas seeing an explosion in scooter and small bike usage due to environmental and economic reasons, many riders are now likely to reconsider their choice of transport, possibly unleashing up to 100,000 more cars back onto Sydneys’ congested roadways.
The Motorcycle Council of NSW calls on the NSW Government to ask the insurance industry to justify these planned increases of motorcycle CTP premiums as a matter of urgency.

For further information:
Rob Colligan
Chairman
MCC of NSW

0401227731

Established in 1982, the MCC of NSW is the peak body for motorcycling in this state. It represents over 41 clubs, with more than 36,000 riders.

We lobby locally, nationally and internationally for motorcycle riders' rights. We promote motorcycling and the interests of motorcyclists.

The MCC cordially extend an invitation to any rider that wishes to attend these meetings.

After members vote to pursue an objective, club representatives work together on developing a solution. Unaligned riders may assist with this process, but member groups are kept informed of progress at all times.