The Parliamentary Friends of Surf Life Saving acknowledge National Water Safety Day today and the first day of summer as a vital time to highlight the importance of staying safe and acting responsibly around water.
Summer is the peak season when most drownings occur in Australia. Sadly, from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020, 248 people drowned in Australia with 39 per cent of those deaths in the three months of summer.
As the weather warms up, more of us will head to beaches, rivers and pools to cool off and have fun.
But we are losing too many of our young Australians in the water. The Royal Life Saving Society in its annual drowning report found that those aged 25 to 34 years accounted for 17 per cent of the total number of drowning deaths and the most of any age group.
The Royal Lifesaving report also shows that an additional 504 people experienced a non-fatal drowning incident. These are too many close calls that could easily lead to more tragedy.
All drowning deaths are preventable and one drowning is still too many. But as a nation, we are making some slight progress to turn the tide of drownings. The drowning report indicates the total number of drowning deaths over the past year decreased by 8 per cent on the previous year.
As we get ready to dive into summer, we know that turning the tide on summer drownings and avoiding accidents in the water can be avoided if we act responsibly and follow basic water safety rules:
- Always swim between the red and yellow flags at the beach and obey the instructions of lifesavers
- Don’t swim at unpatrolled beaches or swim alone
- Never take your eye off children around water
- Alcohol and swimming or boating don’t mix.
Our leading water safety authorities, including Surf Life Saving Australia and the Royal Life Saving Society, play an important role in helping to keep Australians safe in and around the water. The dedicated efforts of these organisations, including professional lifeguards and lifesavers as well as thousands of volunteers contributing to millions of patrol hours each year, make a vital and greatly valued contribution to our nation.
Interventions performed by surf lifesavers and lifeguards result in more than 1,300 avoided fatalities and 800 avoided critical injuries each year.
The Parliamentary Friends of Surf Life Saving are committed to continuing to work with Australia’s water safety organisations to help Australians keep themselves and each other safe and prevent drowning deaths this summer and into the future.
Parliamentary Friends of Surf Life Saving Co-Chair, Matt Thistlethwaite, said: “We all love being in the water over summer. But it’s also our riskiest period for drownings. When you head to the beach, river or pool over summer, please remember to always swim between the red and yellow flags, obey lifesavers instructions and never take your eye off kids around water. Stay safe and enjoy a great Aussie summer.”
