Advocacy Briefs: AGF Closes, Good Cycles Celebrates 10 Years
Amy Gillett Foundation Closes
Amy Gillett was an Australian elite cyclist who was killed in Germany in July 2005 when a vehicle mowed down the Australian women’s team during a training ride.
In 2006 the Amy Gillett Foundation was created, and over the almost two decades since then, it has been best known for its ‘A Metre Matters’ campaign. Through this, after years of lobbying, every Australian state and territory has passed minimum safe passing laws, meaning that motorists must leave at least one metre of space when passing a cyclist. If they are driving at 60kph or over that increases to 1.5 metres.
In 2022 via then Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, the AGF was awarded $6 million in funding to carry out a range of projects.
It was announced on 1st March 2024 that Shaun Matthews and Rachel Burdett of the firm Cor Cordis had been appointed as liquidators.
We have not seen the creditors list but understand that the AGF had debts of approximately $940,000. It appears that there was no attempt to trade out of insolvency and all staff were dismissed shortly after the liquidators were appointed.
In a letter to stakeholders, foundation chair Lisa Jacobs wrote that “regretfully, the board has concluded that ongoing operation of the foundation is no longer sustainable in the absence of new federal government funding”.
Apparently the AGF had been paid $4.5 million of the $6 million grant.
Good Cycles Celebrates its 10th Anniversary
Melbourne-based social enterprise Good Cycles began its 10-year anniversary celebration on World Social Enterprise Day, November 16, 2023.
In 2013, founders Loretta Curtin & Luke Wright created Australia’s first bike based social enterprise, using the bicycle as vehicles for positive change. Their goal was to train young people and break down their barriers to employment.
In 2016 Jaison Hoernel joined Good Cycles CEO and the organisation has impacted at least 767 people through employment opportunities and training programs during its first decade.
Good Cycles began in 2013, training, upskilling and donating bikes to refugees, asylum
seekers and young people from diverse backgrounds, including within the justice system.
After repairing thousands of bikes and training hundreds of young people, Good Cycles
started creating jobs by delivering services by bicycle, such as carshare cleaning,
environmental waste collection, asset maintenance, solar bin checks, delivery and logistics
and more. They now also operate micromobility share programs, servicing the Lime share
bikes across Melbourne and Sydney.
Good Cycles has grown to four bike shops, located in the CBD, Docklands, Brunswick and
Geelong. Each store offers new bikes and a range of cycling parts and accessories, with
professional mechanics operating in full service workshops.
You can see more milestones and details here. All donations over $2 to Good Cycles are tax deductible.