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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-07-25 Daily Xml
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National Farm Safety Week

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (12:00): I move:

That this house—

(a) notes that National Farm Safety Week was held from 16 to 22 July, raising awareness of farm safety issues across Australia, including South Australia;

(b) recognises this year's theme as being 'innovative, safe and healthy'; and

(c) acknowledges the united effort across the nation to reduce the deaths and injuries associated with health and safety risks on farms.

In its 20th year, National Farm Safety Week was held across the country last week, and this year's theme was 'innovative, safe and healthy'. Farm Safety Week is an important opportunity to raise awareness of farm safety issues. They are real, and the risks—indeed, the occurrence of accidents on farms—is a matter that we all ought to be aware of, and those affected ought to be provided with appropriate support to address that so that we can do better.

Farm safety is much more than just the physical risks, matters to do with the safe handling of chemicals or animals, or safety associated with the use of machinery, such as quad bikes or tractors that have recently been in focus. Importantly, it is also about knowing how to deal with stress, with mental health issues and with being able to have the right conversations and rules in place to ensure the safety of children and older generations who are on the farm.

I acknowledge that SafeWork SA and Primary Producers SA commodity groups, including Livestock SA, together have a Farmers' Guidebook to work health and safety that is available as a tool. The guidebook covers matters, including setting up a safe workplace, plant and equipment, farm hazards and solutions, industry-specific hazards and health and wellbeing.

I also wish to recognise and acknowledge the work of SA farm safety advocate, Alex Thomas, South Australia's rural woman of the year. Alex runs her own work health and safety consulting business and has helped launched the hashtag #PlantASeedForSafety social media campaign, and she is also encouraging the use of the hashtag #SaveALifeListenToYourWife. So I acknowledge the contribution of Ms Thomas.

To provide some recent context, there have been four recordable farm-related deaths in South Australia in the financial year 2017-18. To my knowledge, there have been five tractor accidents in South Australia in recent times. As I have just indicated, there have been four fatalities. The fifth of those unfortunate tragic incidents was the exception and involved a constituent and friend of mine, Kevin Watkins.

On 10 April this year, Kevin suffered an extensive and serious injury on his farm when he was injured in the course of attempting to start his bulldozer. Kevin is 83 years old. He and his wife, Rhonda, have lived at their farm at Yundi and have been pillars of the community for many decades now. Since that awful day on 10 April, Kevin has been through tremendous privation. It illustrates that, while we can talk about statistics and about dangers in the broad, sometimes we can best address these matters in recognising attempts to improve farm safety by reference to individual circumstances.

Kevin was severely injured when he was partially crushed by his bulldozer. Immediately following the accident he spent three weeks at Flinders Medical Centre, where he received urgent and critical care. He was then transferred to the Strathalbyn hospital, where he spent a further three weeks in the care of professionals. I wish to recognise all who cared for Kevin during those six weeks of hospitalisation.

When I spoke with Rhonda yesterday evening, as I have on a number of occasions since 10 April, I was delighted to hear a spark in her voice for the first time since that terrible day. She was quick to make the point that, of these five terrible incidents that have occurred in South Australia, Kevin is the only one to have survived. She was thrilled to talk to me not just about the recovery process but about what now looks to be his recovery to something approaching his condition before the accident.

Kevin was anxious to be at home and under his own speed, as it were, as soon as he possibly could. He had extensive trauma associated with a break to his left femur. He had wounds that persistently failed to heal, including a massive wound on the top of his left knee. He had trauma to his face and his wrist. In fact, he had stitches in his face that were recently removed, and so extensive was the trauma that, until they were removed, Rhonda had not realised they were there.

He has benefited from the assistance of nursing at home to assist with dressing, as well as physio to assist him getting back to being able to walk. I am told that he has expressed some impatience with the treatment but that he has been doing his best to be a good patient. He has progressed from walking with a frame to walking with a walking stick and, just recently, to walking with no assistance. I gather that he is still somewhat frustrated by those limitations, but we are all thankful that he is at least walking.

I have referred to the extent of the injuries that Kevin suffered. I am told that he is recovering from the wounds and his broken leg. He still has great difficulty putting his socks on, but it is a cause for reflection that he could have been much worse off. He is fortunate to be on the recovery path. Rhonda tells me that she has imposed some rules on Kevin for the first time. He, in principle, is not to be heading out on the bulldozer on his own in the future, although, speaking with Rhonda last night, she was not so sure that he was going to necessarily comply. She has already heard the chainsaw, circular saw and so on going again, so she is doing her best to keep a close eye on Kevin.

It is good to be a bit light-hearted about the situation as it stands now, months on from that particular accident. He is the fortunate one to have survived among those five major incidents that have occurred in South Australia in the first half of this year. We do well to reflect on the nature of the risks that are experienced on farms. It is fair to say that Kevin is one of the older generation. He is like many on farms who are dealing with bully calves, handling stock, dealing with machinery of various shapes and sizes and confronting the very real risk of physical injury on the farm on a daily basis. He is a man of very long experience.

When we come to reflect on the nature of the risks that farmers face in their homes and workplaces, it is important to note that these are real risks and that events occur on a regular basis. We are endeavouring to do what we can to look after the wellbeing of our friends and neighbours when we look to address safety issues on farms. I want to refer briefly to statistics that bring home the point and the nature of the risk.

It has been noted that a study of on-farm fatalities recently indicated that it is not only those who are older but also children who are affected and very much at risk. Farmsafe Australia tells us that around 20 children under 15 years are fatally injured on an Australian farm every year, and the major causes are associated with dams, vehicles, machinery and horses. A study of on-farm fatalities from 2001 to 2004 by the Australian Centre for Agricultural Health and Safety found that children under 14 years make up 15 to 20 per cent of farm injury deaths.

While I have in the time available to me focused on Kevin Watkins and his particular circumstances, and his accident and fortunate recovery as a member of the older generation of our farming community, it is clear that people of all ages must remain vigilant on farms. I commend the motion to the house.

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