4th August, 2026.
National Walk Safely to School Day is a valuable reminder of the importance of active, healthy lifestyles for our youth and school students, and it was wonderful to see strong local participation across Wollondilly. In my electorate, many schools embraced the initiative including Oxley College in Burradoo and Mittagong Public School, with students and families turning out in great numbers to start the day with a walk to school. Initiatives such as this deliver clear benefits — supporting health and wellbeing, reducing traffic congestion and emissions around schools, and helping students arrive ready to learn. Research continues to show that physical activity before school can improve focus, learning and overall cognitive performance. Importantly, the day also reinforces key messages around road safety and community connection, highlighting the simple but lasting benefits of walking together. I commend these schools and others for encouraging students to walk safely to school, ingraining good habits for daily physical activity.
