This week I met with representatives of Marsh Insurance and Ben Stockwin, the CEO of AILA, to discuss the impending crisis facing our industry. 

Marsh Insurance made it very clear that everyone is going to be affected by the exclusion of the playground industry by most insurance companies in Australia. 

Play Australia is working to support our industry to access reasonable insurance protection and we will provide ongoing updates to our members as information comes to hand.  

The Online Learning Series continues with a panel discussion featuring Andrew Reedy, Mary Jeavons, and Rob Hamilton to discuss the latest Australian Standards and topical issues in risk management of play spaces. 

WHEN: Thursday 18 March 2021

COST: FREE for Play Australia Members (on a Full Benefits Package)

Click here to become a Member today.

We are delighted to introduce you to Alli Coster, our new Board President. Alli is a Landscape Architect and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to her expanded role on the Board.  She has been working with the Open Space Design & Development Unit at Moreland City Council, since 2004. For the next 12 months Alli is on secondment with the General Melbourne Cemeteries Trust. 

"Play is the perfect way for families to connect with their community. Play is an international language, it shapes our personality and how we fit in with others."

This Report Card was developed by the ParticipACTION organisation in Canada. It discusses the vital role that families play in the physical activity outcomes for children.  The impact of families was highlighted even more through the COVID-19 lockdowns.   

"Restricted access to playgrounds, physical school, childcare and playdates means the family’s impact has never been greater, but it’s also more challenging than ever to develop and maintain healthy habits at-home"

The Natural Learning Initiative is celebrating a long-awaited 20th Anniversary Design Institute.

The virtual event will include presentations from international and national thought leaders in the field of community play, the beneficial impact of nature on child development, and new cultural challenges affecting life on the planet.

WHEN: 25 - 26 March 2021
REGISTRATION: $100
(Discounts available for Students, Educators/Early Childhood Professionals, and Groups 3+)

Photo by Zachary Kadolph, Unsplach

VicHealth is presenting an important webinar discussing the need to include the voices of young people in policy making and developing solutions that effect them. 

"Young people are eager to be part of the solution to create a better future - especially in the wake of the increasing challenges they face as a result of the coronavirus pandemic." 

WHEN: Wednesday 31 March 2021 - 10am to 11.30am. 

To profile your Member affiliation with Play Australia and importantly, promote the value of play, the following resources are available for your use:

• Play Australia Member Logo (updated in 2020)
• a range of digital assets to promote the value of play for use on your organisation’s website or signature blocks
• personalised member signage made to your order

I'm a landscape architect who has specialised in playgrounds for over a decade. Nowadays I also undertake both desktop and site-based standards assessments, particularly for other landscape architects.

Today’s popular focus on making children 'job ready' is a disturbing
misunderstanding of how healthy human beings, and healthy societies develop. Humans become effective adults and constructive citizens by allowing them the freedom to fully explore their own potential in childhood, free of adult priorities and obsessions. Play is not something children do in the downtime between other appointments.

Rob Hamilton is the coordinator of Play Australia's 2 Day Play Space Development Training. 

"Play Australia is our peak advocate for letting children be children. The organisation provides a focus for all of us working in the area of children’s play, and offers resources, training, and opportunities for social networking that are rare in what is otherwise an industry that too often tends towards a focus on risk-aversion and worst-first thinking."  Rob Hamilton

If you support the value of play too, join the network that works to protect the rights of all children to Play Today.