This month, Minister for Agriculture Mary-Anne Thomas launched the second annual Kidsafe Victoria Farm Safety Creative Competition, with an aim to encourage kids to think about solutions to farm safety issues.

The theme for this year’s competition ‘Think Farm Safe, Be Farm Safe,’ is about teaching children to stop and think about the potential injury risks on farms and to ensure that safety is always front of mind in the farm environment.

The competition provides children with the opportunity to take an active role in investigating farm safety issues, empowering them to become part of the solution. Participants can submit a video they have created, an illustrated story, poster or collage, a radio advertisement, or an invention.

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 2019-20, almost 400 Victorian children under the age of 15 were treated in hospital as a result of an injury on farm.

Common injury hazards for children on farms include vehicles such as quad bikes, motorbikes and tractors, accidents involving animals, water hazards, machinery and poisons.

Click here to view the full Media Release.

For more information on farm safety and Kidsafe Victoria’s Farm Safety Creative Competition, please visit https://www.kidsafevic.com.au/home-safety/farm-safety-creative-competition/

The Farm Safety Creative Competition is proudly supported by the Victorian Government’s Smarter, Safer Farms Program.