Pollie Pedal to visit Yass

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Federal Hume MP Angus Taylor will be stopping in Yass today after launching this year’s Pollie Pedal charity bike ride from Parliament House.

They will be joined by ministers Josh Frydenberg and Christian Porter, as well as Kevin Andrews, David Gillespie and senator Zed Seselja.

Pollie Pedal is an annual charity bike ride that gets politicians out of Canberra and into communities to raise awareness and funds for important causes.

Since beginning in 1998, the Pollie Pedal has ridden around 17,500 kilometres, raising over $4 million for organisations such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Ronald McDonald House, Youth Insearch and the Paralympic Games, as well as supporting medical research into childhood leukaemia, diabetes, breast cancer and prostate cancer.

They will stop off at Coronation Park in Yass, at 1pm today, to speak to the public.

They will also officially open the Yass Little Learners child care centre at 2.15pm before continuing their journey.

The public is welcome at both venues.

Pollie Pedal founder and former Prime Minister Tony Abbott addresses the public before embarking this morning.

Pollie Pedal 2016 will raise funds to support the important work of Carers Australia.

The ride will be for eight days, from April 3-10, covering over 1000 kilometres.

It will start and finish in Canberra, travelling through regional NSW and will go through towns like Yass, Harden-Murrumburrah, Cootamundra, Temora, West Wyalong, Forbes, Canowindra, Orange, Oberon and Goulburn.

Along the route, the riders will be received in nearly all major towns and will drop into schools, RFS depot’s, cafés, pubs and other small business’ to meet with locals and raise awareness of the issues facing carers.

Carers Australia is the national peak body representing and advocating on behalf of family and friend carers throughout Australia.

With over two and a half million unpaid carers in Australia, Pollie Pedal will ride to show their support for the invisible army of unpaid carers across our nation. Carers Australia has the vision of an Australia that values and supports carers.

The public is invited to show their support for Pollie Pedal 2016, to help build a carer-friendly Australia.

Hume MP Angus Taylor is among the politicians participating in the event.

Cyclists embark on their journey outside Parliament House this morning.

Tony Abbott’s fundraising goal on everydayhero.com