Labor Opposition Demands Investigation
Queensland’s Labor opposition has urged the Crime and Corruption Commission to examine potential fraud in an e-mobility rebate program that the party launched during its time in government.
The initiative, introduced by the Miles administration ahead of the 2024 state election, provided $500 rebates for e-bikes and $200 for e-scooters to promote active transportation options.
Eligibility criteria required e-scooters to feature speed limiters capping them at 25 km/h. Power-assisted e-bikes needed a maximum 200-watt output, while electric power-assisted cycles—requiring pedaling to engage power—were limited to 250 watts.
Scheme Details and Timeline
The $2 million program commenced on September 23, just before the government entered caretaker mode, and concluded on October 25, the eve of the election.
Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg recently disclosed that approximately 20 percent of the rebates funded illegal devices. Among 3,265 subsidized e-bikes, 693 proved non-compliant, and of 1,508 e-scooters, 141 violated regulations.
Calls for Accountability
Shadow Treasurer Shannon Fentiman emphasized that strict guidelines governed the scheme, attributing any approvals of public funds for illegal items to departmental shortcomings.
“Under those guidelines, these bikes should never have been approved, and there are serious questions about why the Department of Transport and QRIDA allowed these funds to be given for these illegal bikes,” Fentiman stated.
She outlined three immediate actions for the minister: impose fines on recipients who used government funds for illegal purchases and seize the devices; investigate how the Department of Transport and the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority permitted the issue; and refer the matter to ethical standards or the CCC, describing it as fraud.
Fentiman further called for interim safety measures to address illegal bikes, noting that the government had been pressed to act on this previously.
Government Response
Mickelberg rejected attempts to shift blame to public servants, asserting that responsibility ultimately rested with former Transport Minister Bart Mellish.
“It’s easy to pass the buck to public servants, but ultimately, it’s the government that is responsible here,” he said.
The minister criticized the rollout as rushed and politically motivated, aimed at securing votes rather than methodical implementation. He argued that if e-mobility support was a true priority, rebates should have strictly adhered to legal standards.
