Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is a pleasure to second this motion moved by the member for Moncrieff. The Year of the Surf Lifesaver pays tribute to the tens of thousands of Australians who contribute to their community as surf-lifesavers. Surf-lifesavers have a wonderful record of having kept Australians safe for the last 100 years at our beaches nationwide. I am acutely aware of the good work done in my own electorate by surf-lifesaving. I have two excellent clubs at Scarborough and at Trigg Island and I am privileged to be vice-patron and patron of these clubs respectively. Both clubs are an important part of the fabric of the Stirling community, patrolling and protecting people on one of Perth’s most iconic stretches of coastline. The Scarboro Surf Life Saving Club, together with the Trigg Island Surf Life Saving Club, keep Australia’s best beaches safe for the thousands of people who take advantage of all they have to offer.

I was recently very privileged to have the Prime Minister visit Scarboro surf club to show the government’s support at the highest level for the work that this club, and their many sister clubs around Australia, do for the community. I know the visit was very well received by members of the West Australian surf-lifesaving community. It has been an exciting year for the organisation in WA as they began their three-year hosting of the National Surf Lifesaving Championships in March of this year. Some 8,000 competitors and officials were joined by up to 40,000 spectators coming down to Scarborough on any given day to watch the events.

I was fortunate to have had an opportunity to attend on both the Saturday and the Sunday of the championships. On the Sunday morning His Excellency the Governor-General presided over a service of thanksgiving for those surf-lifesavers who have lost their lives in the course of their duty. This was a reminder of the dangers that surf-lifesavers are prepared to accept on behalf of their fellow Australians. Thousands of beach goers are rescued around Australia each year, not to mention the enormous number of preventative actions that are taken on a daily basis to make sure that beaches like Scarborough and Trigg are safe for swimmers, surfers and families.

When you look at it like that, the importance of the Surf Life Saving Association to the entire Australian community becomes clear. It provides world-leading best practice lifesaving services through its strong commitment to juniors and through its adoption of uniform standards and systems. It also exports its expertise. At the surf-lifesaving championships in Scarborough, I met representatives from surf-lifesaving organisations from around the region and around the globe, and they look to Australia for best practice and leadership for surf-lifesaving internationally.

Surf-lifesaving provides our Australian young people with the chance to not only participate in fun and healthy activities but also learn vital survival skills—as well as how to save the lives of others. Because of Australian surf-lifesavers and the wonderful commitment that all of its volunteers make, Australian beach goers are undoubtedly the best protected in the world—a testament to the skill, expertise and professionalism that is espoused not only by the organisation as a whole but also by the individual members who give up their time to serve the community. This selfless volunteering of time and commitment showcase the best in the Australian character. Australians as a community are always prepared to give something back to help their fellow Australians, and surf-lifesaving is one of the best examples of this.

This motion is a timely reminder of the good work done nationwide by Australian surf-lifesavers for the past 100 years. It is a tremendous opportunity for this parliament as a whole to acknowledge the efforts of lifesavers—people such Mark Irwin, who is the President of the Scarboro Surf Life Saving Club, and David Mottram, who is the President of the Trigg Island Surf Life Saving Club; people who have spent years giving back to their individual communities to protect Australian beach goers. I heartily commend Surf Life Saving Australian for their community service and congratulate them on their continuing service to the Australian community and thank the member for Moncrieff for bringing this important motion before the House.

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