I think it's because Australia's been a car-dominated country for many decades, probably largely due to our towns and cities being fairly spread out. Now that some of our cities (e.g. Melbourne and Sydney) are moderately large (4+ million in each), congestion is a growing problem,. This makes motorists frustrated, and human nature being what it is, they take the frustration out on minority groups using the roads, i.e. cyclists. Unfortunately, I can't see this changing significantly in my lifetime.
What is wrong, is that you shouldn't need such a law. Common decency and sense should prevail. But they don't.
We have assault laws and ASBOS and etc etc. And indeed a prohibition on murder. Obviously unnecessary in UK, where common decency prevails.
Nothing wrong with a law to protect cyclists, pedestrians, road workers etc.from assault, I would expect there already to be an all encompassing law for that purpose. It was the perceived need for a specific law to protect cyclists that intrigued me.
I've cycled in Melbourne and around London, and I think that Sh ut Up Legs thinks the UK is some sort of cycling utopia. I'd say in my experience the attitude from motorists in London is probably worse than in Melbourne and the commuting infrastructure is just catching up in London. And they treat it like a proper carriage way, with proper diversions if it is closed, rather than someone just parking a van across it and putting up a "cyclist dismount" sign. Friends that cycle all over central Melbourne found 1/2 hour on Boris Bikes terrifying.
