Western Plains farmers are being urged to reflect on their “second chances” as Farmsafe Australia launches its 2025 National Farm Safety Week campaign.

With the confronting release of the 2025 Safer Farms Report, the campaign carries a clear message, don’t let near misses go unnoticed.

Learn from them, share them safely, and protect those around you.

Farm fatalities have more than doubled in just a year, rising from 32 deaths in 2023 to 72 in 2024, the highest toll in over 20 years.

Farmsafe Australia Chair Felicity Richards said the theme, “Second Chances – Who Knows How Many You’ll Get?”, highlights the power of near misses to change habits and save lives.

“So many incidents are preceded by a ‘close call’, a moment when we got lucky.

"But unless we talk about what almost happened and what we did differently afterwards, we’re missing one of the most powerful tools we have to change behaviour,” she said.

When talking to farmers around the Western Plains, you often hear stories of “near misses.”

They’re usually shared with a nervous laugh or a shake of the head, the kind of close calls that stick in the back of your mind but rarely make it into a conversation about safety.

Farmsafe Australia hopes this year’s National Farm Safety Week will change that.

“We’ve all had those moments,” said Matt Ferrari, local farmer from Trangie.

“We cut corners sometimes, you tell yourself you’re saving time, but really you’re rolling the dice. It only takes one mistake to change everything.

“You don’t realise how close you came until later, and by then it’s easy to just get on with the job. But the truth is, that pause to talk about it might stop it happening again, to me or someone else.”

The report also points to fatigue, poor communication, and child safety as ongoing risks, all of which will be explored throughout the week.

Richards said changing the culture around safety conversations is key.

“We know these stories are often hard to talk about. Some come with trauma. Some carry fear of judgment.

"But when we’re ready, talking about what nearly went wrong helps normalise safer decision-making. Not from a place of blame but from a place of care.”

Despite the confronting figures, there is still hope.

With $2.5 million in federal funding secured to expand Farmsafe’s programs over the next three years, Richards is confident farmers, families, and rural workforces will have better tools, training, and support.

The message comes at a crucial time for the Western Plains, where long hours and isolation can increase the risk of accidents.

Farmers are being encouraged to take small but practical steps; holding a quick toolbox talk, checking in with the team, or simply pausing before a risky job, because even small changes can save lives.