The first quarter of 2026 has been filled with audacious possibility. As we head into April it is heartening to see so much activity happening for play!

On Monday this week we also launched our "Prescription for Play" on World Health Day. Access your copy from our website and feel free to distribute to friends, colleagues and at events.

This edition is filled with OPPORTUNITY. In fact, we are kind of stuck on the word this month!  Read on for updates on some new initiatives we have underway at Play Australia as well as some updates on international and national projects and research worth knowing about. As we head into the cooler winter months, snuggling up and catching up on some reading may be super tempting!! 

Kicking off in April will be the third cohort of our Certificate in Playwork Practice, so Martin from Play Wales will be joining us and travelling across Aus. We are hoping to catch up with more members during this trip and dates from events are contained below.

Finally, a reminder – if you have some great research or content, you want considered for inclusion in the monthly Play Space – please send to Patricia at memberservices@playaustralia.org.au

See you all soon!

Yours Playfully

Robyn, Pete and Patricia

IPA World Conference – New Opportunity!

IPA World Conference is planned for November 2026 and by now those of you who have submitted abstracts will have heard of successful or not.

Like a crowded Aussies beach on a hot summers day – there were far more Aussie applications than spaces for the IPA World Conference… and  just like the surf at the beach, we plan to use the se to ride the waves of interest and features these overlooked gems in a special webinar series – “The First Wave” to be launched in Spring and featuring presentations from members who were unable to present at the IPA World conference and would have liked to!

If your application was not successful it was not due to quality – just balance!!  as lots of submissions were received from Aus, and NZ organisers have to ensure we have coverage from across the world. If your submission was not successful, please send to play@playaustralia.org.au  by 21 April 2026,  and we will arrange a special webinar series for September and October to have you present at our special pre-conference webinar series September 1 – October 20, 2026.

Play and Adolescents

Play Australia will be hosting the play stream of the National Sports Convention and our focus in on Play and Adolescence.

Read more and  join us! July 1-2, 2026.

https://nationalsportsconvention.com.au/nsc26-stream-play-adolescence/

New Insurance Opportunity

We are looking at expanding options for insurance coverage to more members that provide Nature Play and Outdoor Play programs.

There appears to be a gap in the market for these types of services, and we’re aiming to capture as much data as possible from organisations in this space. This information will help us build a strong proposal to hopefully enable us to establish a dedicated facility.

Businesses could include:

• Camping/ Overnight Programs
• Tree Climbing
• Nature-based Learning / Forest School Programs
• After School Outdoor Programs
• School Holiday Outdoor Programs

Please complete so we can get some new quotes and estimates on group purchases!

https://coverforce.snapforms.com.au/form/insurance-survey-2026?asc=play

Addressing the Gender Balance

We have been looking at the barriers to play, and gender plays a part! At the National Sport and Physical Activity conference we have a section on this featuring Dr Kelsie Prawaba-Sear from Nature Play WA and joining us online, Abigail Gaines from Make Space for Girls, UK.

A 2024 Oxford study, part of a community-based initiative called “Greenspace & Us,” aimed to understand the barriers young women face in outdoor spaces and design practical ways to reduce the gender inequity in nature. Sadly, the study of girls ages 10-16 years old, found that they did not feel comfortable in parks and other greenspaces.

The study found that girls’ lack of comfort in public natural areas was a result of factors like safety concerns, being underexposed to nature, and finding nearby parks to be geared towards the play preferences of boys.

Read the report here

https://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/ijcre/article/view/8881/8381

Streets for Play – UK

A new report "Streets for Play, Streets for Freedom", written by makes the case for a "child lens" on streets and transport policy, prioritising the group most impacted yet least considered in planning our streets, towns and cities.
The report by Tim Gill and Alice Ferguson makes the case for a "child lens" on streets and transport policy, prioritising the group most impacted yet least considered in planning our streets, towns and cities. Car-centric thinking has damaged children's health, limited children's freedom and taken children's lives.

The report gives 'Ten Good Reasons' - both moral and pragmatic - for a radical new child-centred approach and addresses the ongoing epidemic of child road death.
Download the report here: https://playingout.net/files/research/childlensdigital.pdf

To read more ...

https://playingout.net/take-action/nationally/a-child-lens-on-streets-and-transport-policy

Position Paper on Risky Play for Adolescents.

Play Australia is developing a position paper to better inform and educate on the importance of Risky Play for older children. This paper will complement the existing paper on risky play for younger children launched in June 2025.

This group of 16, provides a broad representative sample of respected Play Australia members who can supply and recommend content and give feedback on the drafts. Membership is covering practitioners with delivering real time risky play projects with 9-14’s, academics, risk assessors and insurers.  

• Professor Tonia Grey, UWS (Chair)

• Mr David Kutcher, The Venny (Board and Chair Play Aus Playwork Forum)

• Ms Danni Van Der Borch, The Cubbies

• Mr Hyanho Moser, Aust Institute of Play

• Mr Angus Gorrie, The Outsiders

• Mr Daniel Burton, Educated by Nature

• Dr Helen Little, Macquarie Uni

• Dr Alethea Jeredine, Deakin Uni

• Ms Catherine Shaw, The Nature School

• Dr Keslie Prawaba Sear, Nature Play WA

• Mr Andrew Reedy, Play Check (Board and Chair Play Aus Risk Assessors Network)

• Emeritus Professor David Eager, UTS.

• Mr Ryan Fisher, Coverforce Complete Insurance Brokers (Play Aus Insurance partners)
• Ass/Professor Brendon Hyndman, CSU, (Board and Chair, Play Aus Play Research Network)

• Ms Michelle Barry, Healthy Cities Illawarra
• Dr Rachel Jones, Uni of Wollongong

The document will be written by Robyn Monro Miller and the UWS Team led by Professor Tonia Grey, Jaydene Barnes and Dr Marion Sturges. We plan to launch in July 2026.

In case you missed it!

Latest news and articles that may be of interest ...

Contributed article on play to Education Australia’s resource guide sent to School Principals.

https://resource.earlylearningaus.com.au/view/493983989/108/

ABC Article on the loss of backyards and impact on play.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-29/apartment-living-with-children-housing-density-affordability/106496900

Research in how Aussie streets can be made more walkable for 8-12 year olds is well worth a read. You can download the report from the website.

https://learningtowalkagain.org/

Members Meet Up Events - Save the dates, more details to follow!

Events generally commence from 4pm...

if you have a central location close to public transport, and would like to suggest we use that please email memberservices@playaustralia.org.au

• Perth – Thursday 16 April 
• Sydney – Thursday 23 April   
• Adelaide – Tuesday 28 April 
• Brisbane – Thursday 30 April
• Melbourne – Tuesday 19 May