NSW Farmers has welcomed a significant increase in rebates available to improve quad bike safety on farms.

The Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation Matt Kean has announced that the NSW Government will double the value of quad bike safety rebates available to farmers.

Farmers can now apply for a $1000 rebate for the purchase of a side-by-side vehicle, $500 for the retrofitting of safety equipment to an existing quad bike, and $90 for the purchase of an approved helmet.

NSW Farmers President Derek Schoen said farmers can now also apply for the rebate twice if they have more than one quad bike or wish to purchase two side-by side vehicles.

“This is good news for the Safework’s Quad Bike Safety Improvement Program and for the farming community. The rebate increase will assist the Program to achieve its goal of reducing the unacceptable rates of death and serious injury as a result of quad bike use,” Mr Schoen said.

“NSW Farmers will be meeting Safework next week to confirm details about these changes to the rebate scheme.”

A new, 12-minute, online quad bike safety presentation (www.safework.nsw.gov.au) has also been launched today to give farmers easy access to important information. To qualify for the rebates, farmers are required to complete the online course, do a quad bike safety course, or interact with a SafeWork NSW officer. That can be as easy as a short conversation at a field day.

Rebates under the quad bike program are administered by NSW Farmers.