The state government is putting workplace safety for agriculture workers first this National Farm Safety Week, with funding to provide free access to educational resources, aimed at equipping young people with farm safety knowledge.

Acting Minister for Agriculture Steve Dimopoulos today announced a $100,000 grant to the National Centre for Farmer Health to support the delivery of farm safety education in schools, teaching young people about the risks they are exposed to when visiting, living and working on farms.

Agriculture makes up two per cent of Victoria’s workforce while having 14 per cent of workplace fatalities.

In 2022-23, young people aged 15 to 19 comprised 6.3 per cent of total workplace injuries and 13.3 per cent of non-work related injuries on farms.

The ‘Shifting Gears’ teaching resource will provide educators with materials to facilitate meaningful discussions about farm safety within their classrooms.

The resources have been funded through the Farming Safe and Well program and will be available for use from January 2025.

The initiative aligns with this year’s National Farm Safety Week theme ‘In Safe Hands’, which emphasises the importance of keeping our farmers and their families safe.

Throughout farm safety week, Farmsafe Australia will share practical safety tips from farmers to increase the safety of everyday tasks and foster a more safety focused farming culture.

The government’s investment in ‘Shifting Gears’ follows the $900,000 provided to the National Centre for Farmer Health in the 2024-25 Victorian budget for the delivery of agriculture-focused health and medical services, research, and education which will lead to direct benefits for farmers and their communities.

National Centre for Farmer Health senior lecturer and education lead Jacquie Cotton praised the initiative.

"We are pleased to be able to expand our current suite (of) teacher resources to enable even more farm safety discussions in the classroom," Dr Cotton said.

"It’s important that young people in agriculture can continue to see themselves as having a role in continuing those safety conversations on farms.

"Shifting Gears brings those voices front and centre."

For more resources to support safety, health, and wellbeing on farms, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au