This year Australia has tragically seen a dramatic increase in death by drowning to 357 in the period since June 2024. That is an almost 30 percent increase so far and summer has only just begun. This has sparked as urgent call to action from water safety experts, community leaders, and governments alike for increased funding to expand swimming lessons, lifesaving services, and public awareness campaigns.

Calls for Investment

Former Australian Olympic Swimming Coach and recent recipient of the Officer of the Order of Australia, world renowned water safety expert Laurie Lawrence AO when contacted said

“The best presents any government could give a young nation is to teach all Australians how to swim. Governments should invest heavily in making sure Australia is truly a swimming nation. Not a competitive swimming nation but a true swimming nation where every Australian has the opportunity and learns to swim. Summertime is swimming time! Swimming should be part of every school curriculum from the day they start school until they graduate. “

Coach Lawrence AO also refers to recent public statement by Dr Liz Taylor, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning and design at Monash University who says to David Marr on ABC Radio National

“Over 55 percent of adults in the world today cannot swim”

The Role of Public Pools in Australian Life

Public swimming pools have long been ingrained into the Australian way of life. Pools are not just places of recreation but hubs of social connection, health, and cultural identity. From summer afternoons spent cooling off to the training ground for elite swimmers, pools embody the egalitarian spirit of Australian life.

Dr Taylor points out to David Marr that with more than 1300 pools across Australia many of these facilities are aging and under funded. Royal Surf Lifesaving Australia also warned without urgent intervention those pools are at risk of closure leaving often regional communities without access to a safe swimming environment.

The Experts

Laurie Lawrence OA, Dr Taylor, and the Royal Surf Lifesaving Association all call for urgent investment. Dr Taylor’s research makes it clear we must rethink how we fund pools. The Royal Surf Lifesaving Association research has projected up to 500 pools may close without “strategic investment”. Collaboration urgently required from all levels of government to address water safety and pool funding challenges. Without decisive action Australia is at risk of losing not just these physical structures but the social structures these pools stand for. As Dr Taylor notes, saving our pools is about saving the collective public life of towns and cities across the nation. Coach Lawrence reiterates the Kids Alive Do the Five message which is fence the pool, shut the gate, teach your kids to swim, supervise and learn how to resuscitate!

Featured Image Source: https://www.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/swimming-pools/warringah-aquatic-centre