A message from Barb Champion, Play Australia, Executive Director

This message remains simple – it has never been more important to stay active to help keep our mental health in check. We hear this time and time again, but intention needs to be put into physical action!

Read about Play under stage 4 restrictions. 

A disturbing editorial from the UK suggests that:

children are experiencing additional harm due to social isolation, lack of protective school placements, increased anxiety and a drop in service provision from health services

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Where there are children, there is play. It is a universal impulse, as old as humanity. Physical play, verbal play, friendship play, solitary play – it is the exercise of body and imagination, marked by humour, challenge, invention and exploration. As essential to childhood as food and drink.

Dr. June Factor

We want to see a connected and healthy Australia where PLAY is a part of everyone’s daily life

This is the vision that Play Australia is committed to realising as the organisation launches their bold new five-year game plan to build PLAY in Australia as we move toward life post-COVID19.

It's not every day you see a newspaper headline "Go play on road", but that's exactly what we saw in The Herald Sun (Monday 8 June 2020).

A terrific interview with our Executive Director, Barb Champion on Radio 6PR about encouraging more children back into our streets and the 1000PlayStreets movement. 

Play Australia is interviewed by Susie O’Brien from the Melbourne Herald Sun to encourage people to reclaim their suburban streets for play. 

Professor Matthew Nicholson talks about all the benefits of safe street play on Channel 9 News. This story can be viewed on Twitter.