NATIONAL WALK SAFELY TO SCHOOL DAY

Dr CLOSE (Port Adelaide) (14:17): My question is to the Premier. How is the state government supporting the National Walk Safely to School Day?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for State Development) (14:17): I thank the honourable member for her question. Tomorrow is National Walk Safely to School Day. It is an annual national event—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —for primary schoolchildren, who are encouraged to walk safely to school. The message, of course, is that walking to school is great for encouraging our children to be active and therefore healthy. It is also an important part of learning. We know that learning only occurs when two things are present: one is wellbeing and the other is engagement. It is crucial that children are actually well, or they can't learn. Part of being well is being active, and so walking to school is such an important part of that.

It is a great community event that raises awareness about road safety, as well as promoting another of the very important messages that we are seeking to promote, and that is safe communities and healthy neighbourhoods. This is a key priority for our government, and walking is one of the best and easiest forms of participating in public life. Getting exercise and walking to school obviously encourages regular physical activity. It also cuts down on our dependency on cars, which is great for the environment.

It is also important to know that another benefit that is probably not as well recognised is that for a child to actually know exactly where their house is in relation to school can be a real comfort for them. Being able to physically imagine where their home is in relation to their school is a very important way of comforting a child in a classroom environment. So, walking to school has lots of other benefits.

I am pleased to inform the house that the South Australian government provides $15,000 this year to support this important event. This is in addition to the support that the Department for Education and Child Development provides through promoting the event through the Premier's Be Active website, and through the InfoConnect website and the electronic newsletters we send to schools. I encourage all parents to get involved in National Walk Safely to School Day tomorrow, and to do it as often as they can throughout the year.

Tomorrow, hundreds and thousands of primary school students around Australia will be walking safely to school. This includes 17,500 South Australian students, and there will be many more because every school is informed about the event and any school can take part. Now in its 13^th year the theme for Walk Safely to School Day this year is, 'It's cool to walk to school', which is a natty phrase that somebody has come up with. More information about Walk Safely to School Day can be found at www.walk.com.au. We are happy to support the event and we call on all members of the house to support it as well.