TRANSCRIPT

1 JULY 2026

New laws governing e-mobility use come into force in Queensland

AMA Queensland Past President Dr Maria Boulton spoke to the Today show about the need for further education on riding e-mobility devices as new restrictions begin in Queensland.

Transcript: AMA Queensland Past President, Dr Maria Boulton, Channel Nine, Today, Wednesday 1 July 2026

Subject: Queensland's new e-mobility laws

SARAH ABO: Well, Queensland now has some of the world's toughest laws on E bikes and E scooters. With new restrictions coming into effect this morning, Dr Maria Boulton from Australian Medical Association Queensland joins us live now from Brisbane. Doctor, good to see you this morning. So, greater safety enforcements of course have long been called for. What changes have actually been made.

DR MARIA BOULTON: The whole purpose of these laws is to protect our children and basically what they've looked at is they've looked at limiting the speed, limiting the age of children that can use these devices and also looking at enforcing helmet use and of course ensuring that people who are riding these devices aren't drunk or aren't over the limit when it comes to alcohol.

SARAH ABO: I mean it's so necessary.

DR MARIA BOULTON: Right.

SARAH ABO: Especially sort of giving them licences, I think, which is an interesting one for people on bikes. That's quite unusual. And police will obviously have greater powers as these new laws come into effect. Parents are likely to also be fined if their child rides illegally. Is that the right move?

DR MARIA BOULTON: We don't believe so in AMA Queensland. We think that it just places an unnecessary burden on parents who are already burdened enough. We think that the responsibility should really be carried by the government. And yes, it is a massive issue. We see at least one child every day in our emergency departments with injuries that can be long lasting. For example, head injuries, broken bones, broken teeth and we've even seen deaths, and deaths are more common in children.

SARAH ABO: I was going to ask you about that, Maria, because as a GP, obviously you would see all kinds of injuries when it comes to e-bikes and scooters. You've mentioned some there. Can you talk through a few more? And also I guess how do you think these laws will help limit that?

DR MARIA BOULTON: Yeah, head injuries are really common, and concussions, and you can also get broken necks. And we know that with traumatic brain injury you can have long-lasting consequences. The other thing we see is broken bones. So, we see a lot of broken arms, broken legs, we see a lot of grazes, we see a lot of broken teeth. We would have liked to have seen the laws strengthened. We believe that children under 16 should not be allowed to ride these devices because we don't think that they have the spatial awareness and also the knowledge of road rules to actually keep safe. And, you know, above all, they're the ones that we're trying to protect.

SARAH ABO: And I know that some schools across the country are working with law enforcement to better educate their students about the things you just mentioned there, because ultimately these e-bikes, these e-scooters, they're everywhere and obviously some of the behaviour we see is quite menacing. It's intimidating for other road users too. How do we shift attitudes so that we can encourage kids to go outside rather than sit inside on their devices, but to do so safely?

DR MARIA BOULTON: As you said, it's all about education. And you're right. I see patients every day, particularly older people, who are really scared of walking out in the parks because they don't want to be run over by these scooters. And this is where town planning also comes in. It's really important that we do encourage activity. It's really important that we do allow our children to be active on their way to school, for example. But we also have to make it safe for them. We need to ensure that our roads are planned so that all these scooters, bikes, pedestrians are separated from cars.

SARAH ABO: Well, it's a start. Hopefully it helps save lives and certainly prevent injuries. Thanks so much for joining us, Maria. Appreciate it.

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