The Queensland Police Service is working to end violence against women both inside and outside the workplace.

They’re raising awareness of violence against women and respectful relationships by having a night in to get the word out!

This coming Friday, July 28 is White Ribbon Night.

Communities are encouraged to host a night in as a way of raising funds or simply increasing awareness of the impacts domestic violence has on women and their children.

White Ribbon Australia are encouraging people to be as creative as possible about staying in on July 28 to get the word out.

Did you know, at least one woman is killed every week by a current or former partner, while one in four children are exposed to domestic violence?

How can you get involved to help make a difference? This White Ribbon Night you can make a plan to host an event with family and friends. Some ideas for you include:

• Stay in or go out for dinner
• Host a movie night featuring films celebrating women
• Host a BBQ
• Hold a trivia night
• Wear black or white to work
• Purchase and wear a White Ribbon

Raising community awareness of domestic and family violence is a key step towards preventing this form of abuse. Together we can all help to eliminate domestic and family violence.

The QPS have joined 12 other State Government agencies in undertaking White Ribbon Workplace Accreditation.

The White Ribbon Workplace Accreditation program encourages organisations to improve their culture towards violence against women, reduce bullying and harassment and to promote respectful relationships.

Go to www.whiteribbon.org.au for more information on White Ribbon Night.

The latest round of the Queensland Government’s successful Get Started Voucher program opened last Wednesday with $2 million worth of vouchers on offer to the Community.

State Member for Morayfield Mark Ryan is encouraging parents to log on and get their application in for the latest round.

“These vouchers help out families with sporting club registration costs of up to $150 for their kids, have been one of the Queensland Government’s most popular programs in our region,” Mr Ryan said.

“The vouchers help eligible families afford the costs of signing their kids up to their local sport or recreation clubs.

“In fact, last round they were so popular we ended up releasing more vouchers.

“The vouchers are issued on a ‘first come, first served’ basis so you need to be quick if you want to secure this funding.

“I know that there are many families in our community who are feeling the pressure financially and these vouchers will help to take a bit of that pressure off and help their kids get involved in organised sport and recreation activities.”

Minister for Sport Mick de Brenni said more than 13,300 vouchers would be available through Round 10.

“More than 4,200 clubs across Queensland have registered for the Get Started Vouchers program, ensuring there is a huge range of activities on offer,” Mr de Brenni said.

“In previous July rounds of this program, we’ve seen the highest number of vouchers redeemed for sports such as rugby league, athletics, gymnastics, soccer and swimming.

“We know the importance of teaching children to live active lifestyles and these vouchers are important in removing some of the barriers for participation in organised sport and recreation.”

Get Started Vouchers is an initiative under the Queensland Government’s successful Get in the Game funding program, aimed at supporting grassroots sport and recreation.

For more information on Get Started Vouchers visit https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/sports/funding/getinthegame/getstarted/

Local residents and parents of students in the Caboolture region have raised concerns on many occasions in relation to the safety of students during school drop off and pick up times.

Unfortunately, speeding through school zones is a very real safety concern. Risks to pedestrians are increased, as the faster a vehicle is travelling, the longer it takes to stop and the greater the severity of impact.

State Member for Morayfield Mark Ryan said signs would be installed at Morayfield East State School,  Bellmere State School and Caboolture State High School, on both Lee Street and Charles Street over the coming financial year.

“We’ve already installed over 740 flashing signs across Queensland at it will be great to see more local schools benefit from our safety initiative,” Mr Ryan said.

“Our flashing signs have made school zones much safer ever since they started lighting-up our roads in 2011.

“This is because significant planning goes into ensuring the signs are delivered to where they’ll be most effective, benefitting the schools and communities that need them most.

“These signs play an important role in alerting motorists that they are entering a school zone, reminding drivers to slow down and keep an eye out for children.

“The signs only flash on school days and during school zone times, so motorists will be notified when children are likely to be around.

“Sticking to the speed limit is always vital, and I urge all motorists to follow the road rules and help us create a safe environment for students around schools.”

Schools are selected for flashing school zone signs following detailed analyses, which considers crash history, vehicle and pedestrian traffic, speed limits and visibility problems.

For more information on flashing school zone signs, visit https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/safety/school-road-safety/