Politician points to declining road incidents and stronger sanctions
New South Wales now has "strongest safety environment" for food delivery platforms and riders, according to a minister, following a declining number of road incidents and a new law pushing for riders' protections.
"We now have the strongest safety environment for food delivery platforms and riders anywhere in the world and will continue to work with industry to ensure a culture where safety comes first," said Fair Trading Minister Eleni Petinos in a statement.
Her remarks came as the government reports a declining number of road incidents related to delivery riders - from 21 in March 2021 down to 11 in March 2022 despite increasing traffic due to easing COVID restrictions.
"Our work in this area is making a difference and we will not be taking our foot off the pedal anytime soon," said the minister.
Read more: NSW sets minimum pay for delivery drivers
Meanwhile, a new law also began taking effect in NSW that will ensure the protection of riders on the road.
"While there has been a decline in rider incidents in the past 12 months, there is still a need for stronger sanctions to prevent incidents from occurring," said Petinos.
Under the new law, food delivery booking providers are required to supply their riders with high-visibility personal protective equipment, including a retroreflective outer clothing and a bag or container for safely transporting goods.
"These reforms are ultimately about keeping riders, who are among some of our most at risk road users, safer on our roads," said Petinos.
SafeWork New South Wales will have an educational approach to compliance until November 1 in relation to bags and containers to ensure that businesses and workers are aware of the equipment.
Penalties of $,3600 await platforms who are not able to comply to the requirements, according to the new legislation.
As additional resources, SafeWork NSW also produced Food Delivery Riders – Keeping You Safe Fact Sheet and 'Risks on the Delivery Road Fact Sheet' for food delivery platforms to ensure the safety of riders on the road.
