Back to school with improved road safety and cost of living relief
Nearly 900,000 students across Queensland head back to school today, amid new initiatives for school safety and cost relief from council and state governments taking off.
As the school year starts up again Brisbane’s speed awareness monitors (SAMs) are back in action while the State Government rolls out its Back to School Boost today.
Since being introduced in 2021, 100 dedicated school zone SAMs have been established across Brisbane as part of a citywide network of 287 monitors.
SAMs are part of a wider school safety program which includes flashing signs, high-visibility road markings and infrastructure upgrades.
The city council has also installed 140 school zone signs at 70 schools since 2015.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the SAM program was a proven way of encouraging safer driving, particularly around schools.
“We’re backing this up even further with better signage, safer streets and programs that encourage walking and riding, all focused on keeping our youngest residents safe,” Schrinner said.
Safer School Precinct upgrades will soon roll out across Brisbane, with consultation recently completed in Kedron, Mansfield and Wynnum Manly.
Construction on a Safer School Precinct in Kedron will begin mid-2026, and consultations beginning for Indooroopilly in early 2026.
More than 1.4 billion vehicles have passed through Brisbane’s ‘Slow for SAM’ signs since they were in introduced in 2013 and are responsible for an average speed reduction of 6.3km/h.
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Meanwhile, the Back to School Boost kicks off today, which will see the family of every primary school student in the state receive a $100 credit to help ease costs for families.
The Back to School Boost is provided once per year, with all students from Prep to Year 6 across state, catholic, independent, special and home schools being eligible.
Premier David Crisafulli said the $100 Back to School Boost would be funded in the budget each year to provide certainty to families.
Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said 895,000 students would be attending schools across Queensland this year.
“The Crisafulli Government is delivering a record $21.9 billion Education Budget to make sure every student can access a world-class education and reach their potential,” Langbroek said.
