Port Stephens Councillor says parents should take more responsibility for unruly children on motorbikes

PORT Stephens is no stranger to dangerous bike riders threatening community safety and Council has vowed to handle the matter by requesting that the NSW Government expand police power and review current legislation.

There have been several recent reports from Port Stephens locals regarding electricity- and fuel-powered bikes being used to trespass and damage land, as well as many injuries and close calls stemming from preventable accidents.

Cr Giacomo Arnott has proposed a motion aiming to put the expansion of police power on the agenda of the Local Government in an effort to deal with the problem.

“We have had sporting clubs and Council spend tens of thousands on fencing and other physical barriers to prevent our assets from being torn up over the years,” he said.

“We’ve had local people run over, and run into, by unregistered trailbikes, injuring kids, sending them to hospital and scarring them for life.

“People deserve to feel safe in their community, and this unlawful behaviour has to be stopped.”

Cr Arnott cited an incident that took place in 2024, when an unregistered motorbike struck a young child in Raymond Terrace.

Similar scenarios can be complex to handle; even if police are able to identify and locate an offending unregistered vehicle, they do not currently possess the power to seize and destroy it.

Cr Arnott also believes local police to already be stretched thin in dealing with other serious offenders, and that the situation must be tackled in a more extensive way, starting with more parental supervision.

“My view is that parents are failing in their responsibility to raise members of our community who can contribute positively when they’re purchasing these vehicles for their kids and allowing them to ride them without supervision or rules,” he said.

“The core of this problem is the parents who are buying them. […] It’s not acceptable, and we need to make sure that part of this conversation is ensuring that parents are taking responsibility for their kids.”

Responses to the motion, which has been unanimously approved by all Councillors, have been varied.

Many community members have expressed agreement, as well as confusion at the fact that legislation currently does not allow police to properly respond to the situation.

Others, however, consider this a comparatively minor issue and unlikely to be resolved, worrying about possible governmental overreach if more restrictions are put in place.

By Nico LOMBARDO