Hello from Play Australia

There has been a lot happening at Play Australia and we wanted to update you on our activities!

We are working hard to drive engagement from decision makers across the country and over the coming 12 months you will see that engagement develop further. 

Thank you for being a subscriber, please remember, we would love to welcome you as a member!

We are loving the profile play is receiving this year, particularly during the first ever International Day of Play!

Our media coverage with the ABC has attracted over 2 million views and we are thrilled to be in contact with a number of key decision makers in Government who are helping us elevate play.

This month we also welcomed Professor Phillip Jaffe from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, not only was he generous with his time, he also recorded content for our NEW online learning modules launching in Spring, and, recorded content for our advocacy campaigns!

Over the coming months we will have more exciting news to deliver for play in Australia. It has been great to see more engagement with our social media and we encourage you to join in and increase that energy and momentum.

Play Australia has made a submission to the Australian Government on the development of a National Urban Policy.

Play Australia in its submission drew attention to two omissions that relate to children’s play and the voice of the child in planning. We know these two elements are critical in the development of a national urban policy. We also advised that there was a difference between recreation and play that was not articulated in the draft document

It is important to note that the Australia Government as a signatory to the United National Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), has an obligation to uphold and respect the Convention. In particular, the National Urban Policy should ensure Article 31, Articles 12 and Article 4, are referenced and strategies identified to reflect the application of these articles in the Policy. If the Australian Government fails to do so they are in breach of the Convention.

Our submission elaborated on the need for accessible play spaces for all children and the right for children to be consulted on spaces and their environment. The Australian Government is currently considering the submission and others received, and will publish all submissions when the final draft of the policy is released,

Read more about the National Urban Policy

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day Ambassador 2024 Shelley Ware from SNAICC

Only a few weeks away from this national celebration! This years theme is Strong in Culture, Stronger Together.

Celebrated annually on August 4, some schools and children’s services will be celebrating it on August 2 this year due to the days of week!

Visit SNAICC for resources and information.

This special event is targeted to our friends in South Australia!

Have you seen our Online Learning Series? We offer a range of professional development opportunities, including online courses in play space development, as well as shorter presentations on a broad range of topics where we introduce new ideas, explore the latest research and discover practical strategies and tips to apply to our practice.
Members enjoy PD at a discounted rate!

Play Australia member David Eager, who is a Professor Risk Management and Injury Prevention at UTS in Sydney, has written a paper on ISO 4890:2023 Benefit-risk analysis (BRA).

It was published in the journal ‘Standards’ and you can assess it via this free downloadable link.

Play Australia supports and encourage all our members to use the BRA method (AS ISO 4890:2023) when assessing sport and recreational spaces.

We are hosting a free member webinar on Benefit- Risk Assessment tonight at 7pm AEST, August 1st (Another great reason to consider membership)!

Play Wales are the world leaders in Playwork, and we were keen to partner with them to ensure the training we offered was world best practice. Play Australia has been working with Play Wales to bring the Internationally renowned Playwork Practitioners course to Australia and we are delighted to announce we will have an estimated 60 Play Australia certified Playworkers by the end of September.

Our program is cross sectoral, and this draws on the rich diversity of experience and passion of our participants.

Over the next 3 years Play Australia will be supporting he development of an Australian cross sectoral Playwork.

If you are interested in being part of the next cohort of Australian Playwork Practitioners, please register your interest.