A $6 million subsidy scheme for farmers to make their quad bikes safer has been announced by the Victorian Government.
Eligible farmers will be offered up to $600 each for up to two ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles) to fit rollover protection, or $1200 towards the cost of buying a safer ATV or UTV (Utility Task Vehicle).
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews announced the scheme at a Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) conference this week.
“Too many Victorians have died or have been seriously injured using quad bikes and that’s why the Victorian Government is taking action to protect our farmers,” Andrews says.
“This is about saving lives and we encourage every eligible farmer to make use of this rebate and stay safe.”
The scheme provides rebates to farmers to either fit rollover protection devices on existing quad bikes or help them purchase an alternative safer vehicle.
Accidents involving quad bikes resulted in 22 deaths in Australia last year. Six in Victoria, four each in Queensland, Western Australia and New South Wales, three in Tasmania and one in the Northern Territory.
Two Victorian farmers have lost their lives on farms in the past three months after being crushed by ATVs.
“We applaud the commitment to provide rebates for farmers wanting to fit rollover protection devices on their quad bikes or buy a safer vehicle – such as side-by-side UTVs,” VFF president Peter Tuohey says.
“This funding is a major breakthrough in protecting farmers’ lives. We are seeing an unacceptable toll and it’s great the Victorian Government has taken action.”
The VFF first called for a rebate on the fitting of roll-over protective (ROP) devices in its pre-Budget submission in February.
The subsidy scheme will run for two years and will be managed by WorkSafe Victoria and the VFF.
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