The Queensland government is expected to introduce tougher safety regulations on quad bikes and side-by-side vehicles in response to alarming statistics around farm incidents and deaths.
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Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace said the new rules will require all operators to wear helmets, complete training and be at least 16 years old.
"The Palaszczuk government is committed to playing its part in addressing quad bike deaths and injuries in Queensland," Ms Grace said.
"This includes a strategy which has been in place for the past five years that included a safety awareness campaign - Ride Ready - to improve quad bike safety in Queensland."
Ms Grace said the responsibility for on-farm vehicle regulation is a national issue and is calling on the federal government to take quicker action.
"The new national standards the federal government announced in 2019 are welcome but are too narrow, and too slow," she said.
"I repeat my call on the federal government over a year ago to put these new standards in place faster to protect the main users of quad bikes - our farmers, their family members and rural workers."
An independent report last week found that Queensland has one of the highest numbers of on-farm deaths in the country, accounting for nearly thirty of Australia's 58 on-farm deaths in 2020.
Queensland Farmers' Federation called on the state government to implement a safety subsidy to encourage small businesses to take more action and stimulate regional and rural economies.
