Don't target enthusiasts: Ricky Muir

Ricky Muir is not your traditional parliamentarian and in his maiden speech to the Australian parliament on March 5, 2015 – eight months after being sworn in – he talked of his love of "four-wheel driving, the bush, dirt bikes and competing in motorsport".

Sounding like the automotive equivalent of America's National Rifle Association, the father of five stated that "the focus needs to move away from the vehicle and onto the behaviour.

"After all, cars do not hoon, it is the idiot behind the wheel."

The oft-criticised politician is notoriously shy, particularly after a disastrous interview with Australian media stalwart Mike Willesee went viral, when Muir froze and failed to answer simple questions, one in particular about the automotive aftermarket industry.

While some in the broader community likely dismissed Muir for his inauspicious start, they may have softened their views after hearing his distress when called upon at the end of last year to cast a deciding vote in favour of then immigration minister Scott Morrison's asylum-seeker bill. At the time, Muir said he had been "forced into a corner to decide between a bad decision or a worse decision."

His maiden speech tackled a number of issues with far more acumen than previously shown, which could be enough to win over new supporters – in public and parliamentary life.

He said that motoring enthusiasts needed to come together as a community "to make a stand against the unfair stereotyping and media sensationalism that motoring enthusiasts are all too often caught up in."

"It is unfair to judge a whole community of people because of the actions of a few."

As well as being unfairly treated in the community, he said motoring enthusiasts were not trying to suffocate the planet either.

"Our message is clear. We are not environmental vandals tearing up the bitumen or destroying our bushland. We are responsible, law-abiding citizens who love our cars, our families and our culture."

He went on to say it is "offensive to a whole community of people to be tarred with the same brush as those who engage in antisocial behaviour on our roads or the minority who disrespect our national parks."

As well as his attack on the media's negative portrayal of Australian motoring culture, Senator Muir also observed the importance of the local manufacturing and aftermarket industries.

"With vehicle manufacturing in this country coming to an end in 2016-17 and the urgent need to refocus our skills on rebuilding the motoring industry in Australia, we believe it is no accident that we are here at this important time in our history," he said.

"The Australian automotive aftermarket industry alone is an $11 billion industry that employs some 30,000 people," he said, continuing to list all the parts and systems it manufactures.

He added, "That, Mike Willesee, is what the aftermarket industry is," referencing his famous interview gaffe.

Motorsport was also mentioned in his extensive speech, stating that "The Motoring Enthusiast Party are strong supporters of motorsport and are keen to spread the word on the social and economic value it brings to our community, particularly in regional areas.

"Recently, Ernst & Young prepared a report for the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport that reported four-wheel motorsport contributes $2.7 billion to the economy and creates 16,181 jobs."

And of the timing of his speech? "Better late than never" he said.