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Kids creating sails of the Sydney opera house by cutting paper plates.

Sydney Opera House and Dettol partner to help teach kids healthy habits

Sydney – Wednesday 22 September, 2021. The Sydney Opera House today announced Australia’s most trusted brand in germ protection1, Dettol Australia as its newest Global Goals partner, supporting the world-famous performing arts centre’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

On its mission to empower Australians to protect what they love, and determined to close the hygiene gap2, Dettol will collaborate with the Opera House on a range of engaging and interactive experiences aimed at instilling long-lasting hygiene habits in the next generation of Australians.

The two-year partnership announced during Global Goals week, will support the Opera House providing:

  • Creative and educational experiences in its new purpose-built Centre for Creativity, due to open early next year. The Centre will enable children and school groups to interact onsite and online with the rich First Nations history of the site, the magic and science of the building, and the extraordinary art and artists that bring the Opera House’s stages to life.
  • Free, participatory Creative Play workshops and other events for kids and families in school holidays.

Dettol’s handwashing advice and hand sanitiser will also be available across the Opera House to reinforce best-practice hygiene and assist in the return of artists, audiences and visitors. 

Sydney Opera House CEO Louise Herron AM said: “The pandemic has made us aware as never before of the importance of health and hygiene. I welcome Dettol as our newest Global Goals partner, with particular focus on the health of the youngest Australians. The initiatives enabled by this partnership will have a positive impact on our community and contribute to the huge collaborative effort required to achieve the Global Goals.”

Reckitt Health ANZ Chief Marketing Officer Henry Turgoose said that the partnership with the Opera House comes as Dettol launches Catch a Habit, a dedicated program that will help Dettol to achieve its mission to empower Australian families to adopt good hand hygiene habits and help address a hygiene literacy gap identified through Dettol research2.

"According to the UN, handwashing with soap is one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of infectious disease3. So, on our mission to empower Australian families to protect what they love, we’ve partnered with the Opera House to help instil excellent hygiene habits among Australian children through imagination, innovation and access. Through this partnership we aim to reach one million children to improve hygiene literacy, to help stop the spread of germs and break the chain of infection.”

Importantly, this partnership will support the Opera House’s contribution towards three Global Goals:

  • Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being, which encourages healthy lives and promotes well-being.
  • Goal 4: Quality Education, which ensures inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities.
  • Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, which ensures the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation, with handwashing being one of the most effective actions to reduce the spread of pathogens and prevent infections.

In the lead-up to its 50th anniversary in 2023, the Opera House is seeking partners across Australia and globally to join its efforts to inspire positive change aligned with the Global Goals. Dettol joins Honeywell, which is collaborating with the Opera House over the next three years on sustainability initiatives, including the Opera House becoming climate-positive by 2023.

For more information about the Opera House's commitment to the United Nations Global Goals, see here.

  1. https://www.trustedbrands.com.au/brandshowcase/dettol.asp#:~:text=SINCE%20ITS%20HUMBLE%20BEGINNINGS%20IN,germ%20protection%20around%20the%20home
  2.  “Hygiene Behaviour Change: Embedding behaviour change at the heart of RB’s purpose strategy”, Report by Global Hygiene Council and Ipsos
  3. https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/handhygiene/

For media information, please contact:

Melanie Wellington
Senior Communications Manager
mwelington@sydneyoperahouse.com | 0413 709 081

Maddy Berry
DEC PR on behalf of Dettol Australia
m.berry@decpr.com.au | 0439 455 636