Bicycle Industries Australia Ltd. News
Cycling Promotion Fund News
Bicycle Industries Australia Ltd. News
Welcome
Christmas is upon us, but before I leap too far into the festive spirit, I need to send out one more industry update.
The
BIA held its AGM on Tuesday the 14th of December. After several years
on the board of BITA and then BIA, Noel McFarlane, Graeme West and Geoff
Ward announced it was time for them to step down and take the
opportunity for some new members with fresh energy and ideas to take the
reins.
Noel, Graeme and Geoff, have between them committed
almost 75 years of voluntary service to the board of the bicycle
industry body.
During their time on the board, these men have
seen an enormous amount of change, and were three of the individual’s
instrumental to the introduction of the Cycling Promotion Fund. The
industry has benefited greatly from their involvement and we take this
opportunity to thank them for their outstanding contribution to our
organisation and industry.
All have informed us they will remain
actively involved in the industry and that we can still call on them
for their counsel and advice.
At this time of year, the industry
is busy with the Christmas rush, but several issues have again
reinforced the need for a strong industry body to support and promote
the needs of its members.
The Bicycle Helmet Standards issue
highlighted the critical role the industry body can play in addressing
the needs of the entire sector, providing strong lines of communication
and representation to appropriate bodies as required.
The concern
of GST threshold for online imports has further reinforced this need.
The issue has been in the media recently, receiving airplay through the
comments of Gerry Harvey and Myer. The industry is acting on your behalf
and with a consortium met with the Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten
last week to raise our concerns.
The work being done is for the
benefit of all within the industry, but it is only with your support
that we can assemble the resources needed to actively engage in these
critical activities. The industry association has been supported for a
long time by a small number of wholesalers and as we work on issues that
affect all wholesalers, an increased level of support is crucial to
provide effective support on these whole-of-sector issues.
But
back to the Christmas rush, I hope everyone gets a chance to stop, relax
and enjoy time with their family and friends, enjoying a safe and happy
Christmas and New Year.
I look forward to working with you all in 2011.
Regards,
Peter
Peter Bourke
General Manager
BIA Board Meeting - 14 December
In
my introduction, I thanked Noel, Graeme and Geoff for their time on the
board, but it is also an exciting time as we look to the future with
new energy, experiences and ideas.
Felicity Dales has continued
on as a board member and six new BIA Directors were welcomed to the
Board as the industry looks to the future of the organisation and the
entire sector.
New Directors of BIA;
- Andrew McEwin - Bicycle Parts Wholesale
-
David Cramer - Bike Sportz
-
Jason Wyatt - Bike Exchange
-
Matt Bazzano - Shimano
-
Sam Monardo - Specialized
-
Shane DeGrandi - DeGrandi Sports
This
group brings a broad range of knowledge, experience, opinions and
perspectives about the various aspects of the industry to the Board and I
look forward to their input and guidance to the organisation’s future
direction.
This group will ensure that BIA is in the best
possible position to meet the challenges and opportunities for the
bicycle sector as we move into 2011 and beyond.
GST Threshold for online imports
Throughout
2010 the BIA has continued to work on the topic of GST Threshold and
two weeks ago met with an alliance of other retail based industry groups
including;
- Australian Sporting Goods Association,
-
Australian Retailers Association,
-
Australian Toy Association,
-
Australian Fishing Trade Association,
-
Australian Booksellers Association,
-
Australian Music Association,
-
Photo Marketing Association,
-
Photo Imaging Council of Australia,
-
Retail Cycle Traders Association.
Since
this meeting, the GST Threshold for online imports has been given
significant media airplay with Gerry Harvey and Myer calling on the
government to make changes to the threshold, reducing it from its
current amount of $1000. Some media negative to the interests of large
retailers has resulted which does not recognise the concerns of a
significant number of our members, but has made it unlikely the
government will act purely on the concerns of our retailers.
In
response, the alliance will campaign for a full government review of the
threshold to examine a full range of the key issues faced by our
retailers. They include:
-
the amount of the threshold and the policy reason behind the Threshold,
-
the regulation and enforcement of the current and any altered Threshold,
-
the changing retail trend and growth of online sales,
-
the effect of offshore purchasing on the Australian retail market place,
-
the shrinking ‘bricks and mortar’ retail market and the corresponding
effects on employment, regional communities and the investment retailers
put back into the community,
-
the use of the threshold as a mechanism for illegitimate business to operate and avoid taxation and regulation,
-
consumer protection,
- Illicit trade, counterfeit and brand protection.
The
group met with Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten last week and presented
the need for an enquiry, which appeared to be well received from the
government who understand it is an issue, but are also aware of current
public opinion.
We are currently waiting on feedback from the
Federal Government, but have commenced a range of approaches to ensure
our issues are well understood across the political spectrum.
Bicycle Helmets Standards
Reminder
All
wholesalers would be aware of the changes to the helmet standards, but
just a final reminder that as of 12 December 2010, it is illegal to
supply a helmet which does not comply with AS/NZS 2063:2008. (Supply
means sell, donate, rent or any way provide a helmet)
The ACCC
has indicated in a letter dated 24 November 2010 that if a helmet has
been tested to the 1996 standards but would meet the 2008 standard it
can still be sold until 30 June 2011, with adapted labels to meet
current standards. The full ACCC statement is attached for reference.
Please contact the BIA or Retail Cycle Traders Australia (RCTA) if you require any further information.
Bicycle Sales Statistics
Import
statistics to the end of November 2010 indicate that the Australian
bicycle industry will import over 1.3million bicycles in 2010. This is
the second highest total in history, second only to the record numbers
imported in 2007. The improvements in import figures have been
large increases in the adult bike category with children’s bike numbers
consistent for the past five years.
In reviewing the previous ten
years, the numbers of children’s bikes has shown much smaller change,
only increasing by 5 to 10% from 2000 levels, while during the same
period adult bikes have almost doubled. These imports, which act
as a projection of expected sales in the coming months, demonstrate some
increased confidence in the market and an expectation that the industry
is slowly working through the impact of the Global Financial Crisis.
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Cycling Promotion Fund News
 Government Relations Manager
Stephen Hodge is our Government Relations Manager, based in Canberra.
Download - Government Relations Manager December Report (PDF file, 240kb)
This
document provides an overview of key government relations activities
undertaken by the Cycling Promotion Fund in the second half of 2010. The
aim of government relations is to work with key government bodies,
national industry organisations and politicians to:
-
promote the development of cycling friendly policies,
-
develop evidence‐based arguments for programs which encourage more cycling,
-
get a higher profile for cycling in government public health and social marketing campaigns and
-
develop evidence‐based arguments for and funding models to encourage the government to
-
increase funding for cycling infrastructure.
1. Federal Parliament and key sectors - A new minority government in Parliament
Following
the formation of a minority government by Julia Gillard a number of
bills held over during the election have now been passed. Notable among
these is the bill to establish the Preventative Health Agency. The
Vision for Active Transport launched by the CPF in partnership with the
Australian LocalGovernment Association, Heart Foundation, Bus Industry
Confederation and International Public Transport Association. It forms a
key part of our lobbying efforts for this session of Parliament and
furthers our efforts to ensure cycling is integrated with all public
transport initiatives.
- Every Member of Parliament and Senator has now been sent a copy of the Vision for Active Transport.
- We are organising meetings with Government, Shadow, Greens and balance of power MPs to pursue its recommendations.
- Key link to document
National Cycling Strategy 2011 ‐ 2016
The
latest National Cycling Strategy (NCS) was released after sign off by
Minister Albanese on 24th September. For the first time the national
strategy includes the target — doubling the number of people cycling in
the next five years. The CPF has directly contributed to the NCS as a
member of the Australian Bicycle Council and the Government Relations
Manager (GRM) has also been present at all meetings in 2010. Download the NCS here.
Parliamentary cycling group, Riders on the Hill
The
final ride of the Parliamentary cycling group was held in the last
sitting week of the year. The group, run by Stephen Hodge (GRM),
continues to provide a relaxed opportunity for Members, Senators and
staff in Parliament to enjoy a weekly ride around the environs of
Canberra when Parliament is in session.
The Riders on the Hill
are strong supporters of CPF events, such as the Australian Bicycling
Achievement Awards, and have been responsible for the first private
members motions in support of cycling in the House of Representatives (B
Ripoll). This has ensured that the health, environmental, community and
transport benefits of cycling have been placed firmly on the
Parliamentary record through Hansard.
Above:
Parliamentary cycling group, Riders on the Hill. L‐R Ben Battisson, Dr
Andrew Laming MP, Mark Dreyfus QC MP, Hon Kevin Andrews MP, Luke
Hartsuyker MP, Andrew Taylor, Julie Owens MP, Bernie Ripoll MP, Greg
Kachel (COS Sen J Williams) and Stephen Hodge.
2. Economic benefits for bicycle infrastructure
Following
the record investments bicycle and ‘active’ infrastructure in this
nation’s history throughout 2009 and 2010 it looks like federal
government austerity will be re‐imposed in the 2011 budget. State
governments continue to commit to rolling out bicycle strategies to
guide their investment. A framework for analysis of benefit-to-cost
ratios for bicycle infrastructure.
The efforts to achieve an
agreed national framework to identify the economic benefits of cycling
infrastructure are important for cycling to realise a greater share of
available infrastructure funding. Work is ongoing in this area with
further consultations being held with key advisory body to the Minister
for Infrastructure, Infrastructure Australia.
3. Cycling and health
As
mentioned earlier, legislation to establish a Preventative Health
Agency has now been tabled by the government and if passed is likely to
contribute to the National Cycling Strategy aims of doubling cycling
within five years.
4. Public transport, road safety and media - Road Safety
Initial
meetings have been held with national motor vehicle groups to look at
the potential for road safety and education initiatives.
5. International industry advocacy
The General Manager and GRM visited Bikes Belong
and Trek Bikes CEO John Burke in the USA in October. A full day’s
workshop meeting was held with Tim Blumenthal, Exec Director Bikes
Belong and Vice President Bruno Meier. In addition to strengthening ties
between the two organisations, a range of links, research and joint
activities were discussed.
Above: Peter Bourke (CPF GM), Bruno Maier (Bikes Belong V‐P), Stephen Hodge (CPF GRM)
6. Future work - Submissions
The
CPF will be developing submissions or responses to several key national
discussion papers and strategies in early 2011 that have been released
during November and December 2010. These include:
- National Urban Policy White Paper: Dept of Infrastructure and Transport,
-
National Road Safety Strategy: Australian Transport Safety Bureau,
-
2011 Federal Budget Submission.
Stephen Hodge,
Government Relations Manager, Cycling Promotion Fund
December 2010
Cycling Promotion Fund Annual Report 2009/10
The CPF Annual Report can be downloaded here (PDF file, 1.2M), for a hard copy of the report, please contact the office.
New structure for the cycling sector
In
August this year, the board of the BIA identified a need to review the
strategic direction of the organisation. Ten representatives from the
industry were invited to attend a series of strategic workshops. Through
those workshops the group identified a need to review the interaction
of the entire cycling sector and commenced looking at this overall
structure.
Running parallel to this process, the Amy Gillett
Foundation completed a strategic review of its operations and the
requirements to achieving their goals. The AGF identified that to
achieve its aim of improved road safety; it required improved
communication and relationships across the entire cycling sector, which
would support improved communication with government and the corporate
sector.
The AGF is now leading, with support from a number of
cycling organisations, discussions on the future direction and
interaction of the sector. As these discussions progress, the
board will communicate with the industry on the impact of activities and
the improvements we expect to see for the entire cycling sector.
Draft reports open for public comment
The
BIA is currently reviewing 2 discussion papers. If any industry member
would like to comment, please provide feedback directly to the BIA/CPF
office:
Review of the Australian Road Rules
The National Transport Commission has announced it will be completing a review of the National Road Rules. What
are the Australian road rules? The Australian Transport Council
approved the Australian road rules in 1999. This was the first time
Australia had the basis for a national set of road rules.
Prior to the
adoption of national road rules, some road rules varied between state
and territories. Drivers accustomed to road rules in one state or
territory were faced with variations when they drove in another. This
caused driver confusion with the potential to impact on road safety and
transport efficiency. The Australian road rules are ‘model laws’, that
is, laws that serve to form the basis for road rules in each state and
territory.
The review will run over two years, commencing in late
2010. It will involve the development of a discussion paper and
evaluation report identifying improvement outcomes, which will then be
submitted to the Australian Transport Council (ATC) for consideration.
Any recommended changes or amendments will be passed on to states and
territories to implement.
The NTC will consult widely with
government organisations, industry and users of the rules throughout all
stages of the review – from informing the scope of the review,
developing the discussion paper and finally, the evaluation report. If
you would like to register your interest in this review, or if you have
any comments on the scope of the review or any other feedback or
information you would like to provide, please contact NTC on:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or Review of the Australian Road Rules, National Transport Commission, Level 15, 628 Bourke St, Melbourne 3000, Ph:61 3 9236 5000, Fax: 61 3 9642 8922
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