Food delivery riders say NSW's proposed new safety laws will force them to rush, work longer hours and take more risks, as they call for the state government to take "real action" that does not target the most vulnerable.
Several riders were joined by the Transport Workers Union and Labor MP Daniel Mookhey outside NSW Parliament on Wednesday to protest .
It comes after over a short period last year, including four in Sydney, put renewed scrutiny on the industry and its working conditions.
The proposed laws have been hailed by NSW Minister for Better Regulation Kevin Anderson as introducing the toughest safety requirements for food delivery platforms and riders anywhere in Australia.
Under the proposed laws, platforms would need to provide workers with protective equipment and induction training.
They would also see NSW Police issue identification numbers to workers, who would be penalised for "repeated unsafe practices".
TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine on Wednesday said the reforms were a "disgrace" and "blame the most vulnerable workers in our community".
"It's time for real action in this state - not action that targets the most vulnerable, but those that need to be targeted - the multimillion companies exploiting these riders in this state," he said on Wednesday.
The reforms were recommended in the final report of the NSW government taskforce set up following the deaths in Sydney last year.
It followed an education and safety blitz that found widespread non-compliance with road and workplace safety laws, Mr Anderson said, with almost nine in 10 riders not wearing high-vis clothing.
Some 40 per cent were also observed riding “in an unsafe manner”, he said.
“Enough is enough,” the minister said in a statement.
“Following the tragic deaths of four riders late last year we immediately increased education and compliance to try to lift safety standards but we can no longer stand by while riders continue placing themselves and others at risk.”
The TWU on Wednesday said the union and riders withdrew from the taskforce in April over the "continued silencing" of concerns about "exploitation, unrealistic time pressures and the need for regulation to provide workers with minimum pay and protections".
'Now they are putting fines on us'
According to a recent TWU poll of over 200 riders, 84 per cent believe the proposed laws will increase pressure on them, while two thirds said they won't prevent deaths or injuries.
The poll also suggested financial pressure and police fines would cause riders to take risks, with three-in-four riders saying they had to buy cheap and less safe equipment such as bikes and helmets due to their low pay.
Over half of the respondents have been fined by police while working as a delivery rider, with almost three quarters saying pressure to pay fines made them work more dangerously, including longer hours and rushing to complete more deliveries.
Meanwhile, two thirds said they struggled to pay for rent, bills and food.
Delivery rider Assad said workers are being left with no choice.
"Now they have regulated us, they are putting fines on us, they are putting laws on us," he said at the protest.
"When are they actually going to start to regulate the companies who make us work in these conditions that we have to work unsafely just so we can earn a basic living wage?"
'Start again'
Labor's Daniel Mookhey, the opposition spokesman for the gig economy, said the NSW government needs to go back to the drawing board.
"The problem with these laws is straightforward: these laws pat the platforms on the back, but punish the riders," he said on Wednesday.
"Any proper approach towards safety regulation in NSW would allocate responsibility to those who have power. And let’s be clear here, it’s the platforms with the power. Platforms should bear the responsibility in providing a safe workplace.
"You have gotten these laws wrong. You need to go back to the drawing board and start again."
The state government says food delivery platforms have already committed to 50 actions to improve their riders' health and safety as part of the taskforce's work.
Consultation on the new regulations is set to start in September, the government says, and it expects to finalise them by November.
The TWU is calling on the government to put in place a tribunal "to give riders minimum pay, rights and protections they desperately need".
Advocates for food delivery workers have long called for the gig economy to be better regulated.
Delivery riders have previously told SBS News they have been earning as little as $10 per hour and placed under extreme pressure to deliver food faster, and have accused platforms of bullying and being more focused on profits than worker’s rights.
