The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has backed Queensland’s Transport and Other Legislation (Managing E-mobility Use and Protecting Our Communities) Amendment Bill 2026, saying the reforms would respond to rising e-mobility injuries and address gaps in compulsory third party (CTP) protection.
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“The injury toll from e-mobility devices in Queensland, and indeed across the country, is unacceptable,” ICA CEO Andrew Hall said.
A central feature of the bill is the regulatory treatment of higher-powered personal mobility devices (PMDs). After a six-month transition, any PMD capable of exceeding 25km/h would no longer fall within the statutory PMD definition and would instead be treated as a motorbike. Where a device is capable of registration, it would need to be registered and covered by CTP insurance. The ICA has indicated its support for that structure, on the basis that faster and heavier devices operating in public spaces should sit within established registration and CTP frameworks rather than outside them. Devices that do not meet Australian Design Rules or other criteria for registration would be treated as illegal motorbikes and prohibited from roads, road-related areas such as footpaths, and public places.
Compliant e-bikes and PMDs that meet prescribed thresholds, including a maximum design speed of 25km/h and dimensional limits, would remain unregistered and outside the CTP scheme, in line with current treatment of bicycles. The council has linked this distinction to the way schemes are designed and priced and to policyholders’ understanding of when CTP cover applies. Hall said the presence of large numbers of non-compliant devices on roads and paths means some serious incidents are occurring outside the statutory insurance framework. “If a device can’t be registered, it can’t be insured, and that leaves everyone exposed. CTP insurance is there to protect people when things go wrong, and right now there are thousands of illegal devices on Queensland roads operating completely outside that safety net,” Hall said.
The bill proposes to update device definitions and technical standards, including aligning the definition of e-bikes with recognised Australian safety standards and introducing mandatory compliance labels. This is aimed at giving retailers, consumers, and enforcement agencies clearer criteria for determining whether a device is lawful at the point of sale and in use. A new “prohibited bike” category would be created to capture non‑compliant electrically power-assisted cycles, non‑compliant PMDs. and certain powered two‑ or three‑wheelers that either cannot be registered or are being used while unregistered. Riding a prohibited bike on a road, road-related area, or in a public place would be an offence.
The category clarifies which devices are not permitted in public spaces and therefore how risk and liability may be allocated in crashes or fire incidents. The ICA has also highlighted the property risk from non‑compliant or modified devices, pointing to lithium‑ion batteries that may ignite due to overcharging, physical damage, heat exposure, or manufacturing defects. Where devices do not meet legal standards, that status may be relevant to how home and contents policies respond, particularly in fire claims.
The bill also sets out who can ride e-mobility devices and on what terms. It introduces a minimum rider age of 16 years and requires riders to hold a driver licence. The ICA has supported these provisions, noting that claims experience and available data show younger riders feature prominently in serious incidents. A licence requirement, the council says, uses an existing system to ensure riders have baseline knowledge of road rules and shared‑space responsibilities.
The proposal to reduce the default speed limit on shared paths to 10km/h is another area of interest for insurers. ICA has cautioned that while lower speeds may reduce some collision risks for pedestrians, there is a possibility that riders will shift from shared paths to roads with higher speed limits, increasing exposure to higher‑severity crashes and potential CTP claims. The council has recommended that any changes to shared‑path speed limits be accompanied by close monitoring of rider behaviour, injury patterns, and scheme impacts, so regulators and insurers can respond if unintended consequences emerge.
On compliance, the reforms would expand enforcement powers for police and other authorities. Proposed measures include clearer powers to seize and dispose of prohibited bikes, random breath testing for e-mobility riders, and the extension of existing hooning and evasion offences to cover e-mobility devices. The bill also includes targeted offences and higher infringement penalties for speeding, failing to wear a helmet, carrying passengers, riding on prohibited roads, and riding without due care and attention.
The ICA has indicated support for these measures but has emphasised that their impact will depend on how they are implemented. The council has called for sufficient police resourcing, along with training and operational guidance, to support consistent application of the new powers across Queensland and between local government areas. It has warned that inconsistent enforcement could weaken deterrence, affect public confidence, and limit the reforms’ effect on safety outcomes and claims experience.
Hall said insurers are prepared to work with the Queensland government on implementation and noted potential implications beyond the state. “The proposed laws send a clear message that illegal, unregistered, high-powered machines have no place on our roads and footpaths. Insurers are ready to work with the Queensland government to make sure these reforms deliver the safety outcomes Queenslanders expect and call on other jurisdictions to follow Queensland’s lead in this area,” he said.
The ICA’s position sits alongside calls from motoring and active transport groups for broader policy change as injury numbers rise. Research from the Queensland Injury Surveillance Unit (QISU) shows about 2,000 people presented to emergency departments in 2025 with e-mobility-related injuries, up 23% on 2024 and 45% on 2023. The data, drawn from around 36 hospitals, is estimated to represent only 25% to 30% of all emergency presentations, suggesting the total number of cases is higher.
RACQ, Bicycle Queensland, and Queensland Walks have jointly called for a broad package of measures, including stronger enforcement against illegal devices and unsafe riding, restrictions on e-moped and e-motorbike sales to licensed dealers, improved data and transparency, education campaigns, upgrades to footpaths and separated cycling and e-mobility infrastructure, and changes to shared e-scooter schemes. The Queensland reforms are being watched as a possible reference point for other Australian jurisdictions looking to align safety regulation, product standards, CTP schemes, and general insurance responses as e-mobility use grows.
In comments issued to Insurance Business, RACQ’s general manager advocacy, Joshua Cooney, said the club welcomed the outcomes of the inquiry. “RACQ congratulates the parliamentary State Development, Infrastructure, and Works Committee on its comprehensive e-mobility inquiry and report that has culminated in strong recommendations. It's encouraging to see the overwhelming majority of recommendations were consistent with those put forward by RACQ and its members. We believe the bill largely reflects the intent of the report to improve safety and recognise the important role e-mobility devices play in our transport ecosystem. If the bill is adopted and ultimately implemented, these recommendations will result in safer roads and footpaths for Queenslanders. We particularly support the crackdown on dangerous and illegal devices, improved data collection, and bolstering controls for the import and sale of e-mobility devices. We do believe there needs to be some more work to get the balance right; however, we have concerns with licencing and speed limit aspects of the bill. We will continue to work with the government to get this right,” Cooney said.
