This came through... doesn't it look like a scared Minister, seeing as he hasn't given riders the time of day before? There's still a lot of "will" there, so we have to wait to see if that becomes "has", but it's looking better than it has for a while. Zebee Meeting with Michael Daley, NSW Minister for Finance 1:10pm to 1:35pm, Tuesday 31st August Present: Minister Daley, his adviser, Rob Colligan and Simon Disney Rob opened by expressing extreme dissatisfaction at the lines of communication between MCC and Government concerning the CTP issue. He said the legislation is flawed and less than transparent with regard to how premiums are calculated The Minister responded by saying he agreed with MCC and saw only one way for the numbers of motorcycles on our roads to go… and that would be UP. Rob said we want a Ministerial Advisory Council run by motorcyclists The Minister said he would explore this further at a subsequent meeting and offered MCC a permanent spot on the Motor Accidents Council The Minister said that he would arrange a meeting with the MAA and attend in person if possible and send a staffer along together with an independent actuary to discuss the issues raised by MCC. Rob said that issues we would discuss are a new type of recreational registration for trail bikes, a single seat registration category and a new LAMS category. The Minister agreed that the MAA should assist with investigating these changes. MCC also wants consistent ministerial staff liaison so that we don’t have to keep explaining our issues over and over again to new staffers as they come and go…. Preferably at Chief of Staff level. Minister agreed to this request. MCC also discussed the unfairness of tolling for motorcycles and stressed the importance of continuing use of bus lanes by motorcycles so that motorcyclists can continue to share the road with professional (ie: safer) bus drivers. Also discussed the effectiveness of the MCC at communicating safety messages to the riding fraternity and agreed to explore how MCC can play a greater role in working with government to improve motorcycle accident and injury rates. Rob pointed out that riders despise being told how “dangerous†and “risky†our form of transport is, particularly when it is bureaucrats and politicians doing the telling. This was noted by the Minister.
