By Olivia Condous
Australian farmers, such as those in Melton and Moorabool, could benefit from a farm safety funding boost from the federal government.
The Coalition government has pledged $10 million to improve farm safety awareness and culture in the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors if the party is re-elected in the upcoming election.
The funding will go towards expanding and improving farm safety practices and work on addressing the investment priorities set out in the National Farm Safety Education Fund Strategy launched by Farmsafe Australia last year.
The strategy outlines five key areas such as leadership and culture, the next generation of farmers, physical and psychological well-being, education and incentivisation in order to improve farm safety in Australia.
Ballan livestock and cropping farmer Scott Young said any money that could be put into farm safety was “fantastic”.
“It has been a very dangerous industry in the past,” Mr Young said.
“Working with large animals and heavy machinery, there’s always the chance that something can go wrong,
“So the more education we can get out there to farmers, the more programs that can be run to educate people.”
Mr Young said the funding of better safety measures on farms would be beneficial, to help farmers invest in newer, safer machinery.
“There is a hunger within the farming community to drive safety and to make our industry a lot safer,
“Anything that the government can do to assist the farming community to drive that safety message is great.”
Agriculture minister David Littleproud said the Coalition was committed to improving safety for one of the country’s most dangerous workplaces.
“We are committed to improving safety awareness and safety culture in the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, so that farmers, fishers, foresters, and their workers and families stay safe,” Mr Littleproud said.
“While less than one in 20 people work in agriculture, one in five fatalities in the workplace occur on farms,
“Our Government wants to reduce the risk to farmers and improve safety on farms.”
