Agriculture Victoria is partnering with Kidsafe Victoria to deliver another year of the Farm Safety Creative Competition.
Launching today, the competition encourages Victorian kids to get creative and design educational materials that promote safety on the farm.
The theme for this year’s competition ‘Farm Safety Heroes,’ focuses on how we can all play a part in making the farm a safe experience for everyone whether we live, work on, or visit a farm.
Agriculture Victoria’s Acting Executive Director of Agriculture Policy, Dr Julie Simons, said although farms are wonderful places for children to learn and grow up, they can also be very dangerous.
“This initiative encourages children and adults to take an active role in farm safety in an interactive and fun way,” said Dr Simons.
This year’s farm safety heroes can submit their choice of creative entry, including a video, illustrated story, comic strip, poster, collage or a radio advertisement.
The winners will feature in a state-wide farm safety education campaign designed to increase farm safety awareness among Victorian parents and carers.
Farms are unique environments which are often both a workplace and a home, and children often intersect with the workplace environment, either by helping with jobs or using the property for recreation.
Common injury risks for children on farms include vehicles such as quad bikes, motorbikes and tractors, and incidents involving animals, water, machinery and poisons.
According to the Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit, children under the age of 15 in Victoria’s outer regional areas are four times more likely to die due to injury than children in major cities.
In 2020-21, 441 Victorian children under the age of 15 presented to an Emergency Department as a result of an injury on farm.
The Farm Safety Creative Competition is open to all pre-school and primary school aged children in Victoria.
The Farm Safety in Schools Campaign and Creative Competition is funded by Smarter, Safer Farms, a $20 million initiative to improve safety outcomes for Victorian farmers, their families, farm workers and visitors.
