Tuesday, 3 February 2026

 Cindy McLEISH (Eildon) (20:24): (1489) I have a matter for the Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC, and the action I seek is for the Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC to commit to funding the installation of high fencing or nets at the Kinglake Memorial Reserve oval to prevent footballs bouncing onto the busy Whittlesea-Kinglake Road. I request this be done through the Transport Accident Commission’s road safety sponsorships program, given their longstanding partnership with AFL Victoria, as referenced on page 27 of their annual report. The Kinglake Football Netball Club have senior and junior teams, and too often the ball bounces over the fence and onto the Whittlesea-Kinglake Road. We see children and adults running on the road to collect the balls. This can be dangerous and poses a risk of those people being hit by a passing vehicle. I have had parents contact me about this, including visiting parents of juniors, and the club also see it as a significant risk because it happens too often. Additionally, cars travelling along that road may get hit by a ball and lose control. This is a busy main road. It has got a few bends in it, and it carries all manner of vehicles. Those familiar with Kinglake will know the weather conditions are unique and very often it is foggy or raining, making it difficult for drivers to see and for pedestrians to cross the road safely. Nets need to be installed before a preventable accident occurs and someone is seriously injured.

The reason I am looking to TAC and not community sport is the longstanding partnership with AFL Victoria, which supports grassroots clubs to promote road safety. The installation nets fit well within the TAC’s promotion and the discussion of road safety for the club and the community. In the 2024 calendar year, according to the TAC annual report, 48 pedestrians died on our roads, which was an increase on the five-year average of 23 per cent. The club do need to install nets or fencing to prevent accidents from happening.

The club, the Lakers, are building strong numbers. They have senior teams, under-19s and junior teams, plus netball teams. They are the heart and soul of the Kinglake Ranges community. They have weekly dinners. They are a tight-knit community who work together in a bunch of different areas, such as raising mental health awareness, and they know that this could help promote road safety. This is the ideal time to install the nets as the ground is being resurfaced this year, and it would be great to have that done before the new season starts. The club have been proactive and worked with the City of Whittlesea and a turf curator to develop a 12-month maintenance schedule, and this really is the ideal time. I would love to see TAC get on board with this important road safety initiative.