(1)   For each of the financial years 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 to date: (a) what is Australia’s ranking amongst other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development nations for annual motorcyclist fatalities; and (b) how many Australian road fatalities of motorcycle riders have occurred.

(2)   What action has the Government taken to increase awareness for motorcyclists, motorists and the general public regarding motorcycle safety.

(1)   —

Year	Australia’s rankings amongst Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development nations for Motorcyclist road deaths per population	Australian road deaths of motorcyclists
2005	13th out of 27 nations	233
2006	17th out of 28 nations	239
2007	14th out of 27 nations	237
2008	11th out of 23 nations	245
2009	For 2009, data are currently available for only five OECD nations	225

Notes

Financial year data for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development nations are not available.

‘Motorcyclist’ refers to a rider or passenger of a motorcycle, motor scooter or moped.

Rankings are in ascending order of death rate. That is, the nation with the lowest death rate is ranked 1st.

Rankings of death rates include only those nations for which data are available for each year.

Sources

Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics, Australian Road Deaths Database. Accessed May 2010.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development & International Transport Forum, International Road Traffic and Accident Database. Accessed May 2010.

(2)   Motorcycle rider and manufacturer representatives, as the Motorcycle Safety Consultative Committee (MSCC), have met annually with the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government (the Department) or its predecessors since 1991 to discuss motorcycle safety issues. The last such meeting was on 17 August 2009. The MSCC will in future meet annually with the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), which is a seven-member body reporting to the Australian Transport Council under a COAG National Partnership Agreement. NRSC members were appointed by the Minister and include former world motorcycle racing champion Wayne Gardner. The MSCC is scheduled to meet with the NRSC on 15 June 2010. In April 2008, the Department and the MSCC convened a two-day Motorcycle and Scooter Safety Summit in Canberra. The event brought together Australian and international researchers, riders, industry representatives and government road safety officials to explore key motorcycle and scooter safety issues and to discuss the scope for new or improved safety measures. The Department is coordinating the development of a new National Road Safety Strategy for the period 2011 to 2020, which will set high-level goals and directions for road safety improvement for the next 10 years. Motorcycle safety issues will be included in the new strategy, which is expected to be endorsed by the Australian Transport Council by the end of 2010. The Department is organising the Australasian Road Safety Research, Policing and Education Conference, to be held in Canberra from 31 August to 3 September 2010. This is a major conference covering all areas of road safety. It will include a motorcycle safety stream. In recent years, the Department has published the following public education and statistical information on motorcycle safety: - Fatal and serious road crashes involving motorcycles (2 May 2008), which analyses data on fatal and serious motorcycle crashes. - The Good Gear Guide for Motorcycle and Scooter Riders (7 September 2009), which provides riders with practical information on protective clothing.