NO SHIRT, NO SWIM AS SCHOOLS GET SUN SMARTER
Published Monday, 05 November, 2007 at 03:08 PM
Premier
The Honourable Anna Bligh
“Rashie” shirts will become part of the primary school uniform code from next year as the State Government moves to extend sun protection for children, Premier Anna Bligh said today.
The improvements to Education Queensland’s Sun Safety Strategy will make it compulsory for primary school children in state schools to wear sunshirts or T-shirts during school water-based activities.
“We currently require our children to wear hats and protective clothing when they are in the sun so it makes sense to protect them while they are in the water,” Ms Bligh said.
She said child-sized sunshirts were now available at chain stores from $15, making them affordable to most parents. “However, in circumstances where parents can’t afford them, even having their child wear a T-shirt in the water will offer some protection. Every child has a T-shirt.
“So as well as no hat, no play, from next year it will be no shirt, no swim.
“We have one of the highest rates of sun cancer in the world so as well as protecting our children, it is vital Queenslanders are taught to be sun smart from an early age.
“I come from a generation where rubbing a bit of zinc cream on the nose was considered all the protection you needed. Unfortunately, far too many people are now paying the price for our ignorance.
“Everyone my age knows someone who, at the very least, has had to have a skin cancer cut out. We now know that exposure to the sun during childhood considerably increases your chances of developing skin cancer later in life.
“We owe it to our children to stop them making the same mistakes we all did. We are the Smart State but we should also be the Sun Smart State.
“And with the holidays coming up, I urge all parents to make sure their children are protected while they are having fun in the sun.”
Ms Bligh said the only exception to wearing sunshirts will be during races at school swimming carnivals. Children will still cover up and stay in shaded areas when they are out of the water.
“Many schools already include swim shirts as part of their swimming activities and I congratulate them for taking these steps,” she said.
The Sun Safety Strategy changes will also mean that all primary and secondary schools must provide a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen of SPF 30 or better for students to apply on uncovered areas of the skin such as the face and back of the hands when they are outdoors.
Media Contact: Premier’s Office: 3224 4500
The improvements to Education Queensland’s Sun Safety Strategy will make it compulsory for primary school children in state schools to wear sunshirts or T-shirts during school water-based activities.
“We currently require our children to wear hats and protective clothing when they are in the sun so it makes sense to protect them while they are in the water,” Ms Bligh said.
She said child-sized sunshirts were now available at chain stores from $15, making them affordable to most parents. “However, in circumstances where parents can’t afford them, even having their child wear a T-shirt in the water will offer some protection. Every child has a T-shirt.
“So as well as no hat, no play, from next year it will be no shirt, no swim.
“We have one of the highest rates of sun cancer in the world so as well as protecting our children, it is vital Queenslanders are taught to be sun smart from an early age.
“I come from a generation where rubbing a bit of zinc cream on the nose was considered all the protection you needed. Unfortunately, far too many people are now paying the price for our ignorance.
“Everyone my age knows someone who, at the very least, has had to have a skin cancer cut out. We now know that exposure to the sun during childhood considerably increases your chances of developing skin cancer later in life.
“We owe it to our children to stop them making the same mistakes we all did. We are the Smart State but we should also be the Sun Smart State.
“And with the holidays coming up, I urge all parents to make sure their children are protected while they are having fun in the sun.”
Ms Bligh said the only exception to wearing sunshirts will be during races at school swimming carnivals. Children will still cover up and stay in shaded areas when they are out of the water.
“Many schools already include swim shirts as part of their swimming activities and I congratulate them for taking these steps,” she said.
The Sun Safety Strategy changes will also mean that all primary and secondary schools must provide a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen of SPF 30 or better for students to apply on uncovered areas of the skin such as the face and back of the hands when they are outdoors.
Media Contact: Premier’s Office: 3224 4500