Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This summer I completed my surf rescue certificate with the Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club in Western Australia, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the general manager of the club, Louise Dean, for organising the training course and also the course trainer and club volunteer, Lisa Thomson. Given the beach environment that many Australians enjoy, I believe that it is important to have a good understanding of basic surf rescue, first aid and resuscitation. Australian beaches receive around 100 million visits a year and it is estimated that 80 per cent of all Australians visit the beach at some point each year—and this is not surprising given that Australia has some of the best beaches in the world.

While going to the beach can be lots of fun, we must remember that the beach can also be a dangerous place. Since July last year, surf life saving clubs across Australia have executed 9,189 rescues and administered first aid on 20,381 patients. Furthermore, across Australia 315 people lost their lives through drowning on our beaches or in waterways, in homes and in floods in 2010-11. To help keep this large volume of beachgoers safe, a number of whom are tourists and often unaware of surf conditions and how quickly they can change, an estimated 158,000 volunteers patrol Australian beaches and each year these members of surf life saving clubs rescue around 12,000 people. As a member of the Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club and the Parliamentary Friends of Surf Life Saving, I am well aware of the hard work and vital roles local surf life saving play in saving and protecting people's lives on our beaches.

The coalition, which as we all know is led by a committed surf life saving member and volunteer, recognises the invaluable work organisations such as Surf Life Saving Australia play in keeping our beaches safe. As a result, we have committed an additional $10 million to assist surf life saving clubs across Australia purchase much needed equipment and we will extend the Beach Drowning Black Spot Reduction Program if elected to government. This funding will provide Australian surf clubs with an additional $1.6 million per year for five years and will mean that each of our 310 surf clubs will be given around $5,000 per year to purchase rescue equipment, first aid and medical supplies.

When completing my surf rescue certificate I was told that it was often difficult for the club to cover the costs of maintaining and upgrading rescue equipment and that any damage to this equipment comes at the expense of the club. Therefore I am confident that funding to assist with the purchase of an inflatable rubber boat, a jet ski or first aid supplies will be a big help to the hardworking surf rescue clubs across Australia. One of the aspects of this program that I am particularly keen on is our commitment to working with the clubs to identify what they need and trying to satisfy this. The coalition finds it valuable to listen to those who do the day-to-day work and understand how the clubs work. For this reason, the coalition will be meeting with Surf Life Saving Australia in February to discuss other ways in which we can encourage water safety across Australia and reduce government compliance costs and red tape.

This approach is unlike that of the Labor government, who are completely out of touch with community organisations and volunteers and are determined to burden them with new OH&S laws. Under Labor's new national OH&S regime, volunteers will now be considered in the same way as workers when it comes to OH&S matters and will be personally liable for fines up to $300,000 and prison sentences of up to five years if they do not comply. Volunteers are often at the heart of the community and deserve our support. We should be making volunteering easier, not harder.

In conclusion, surf life saving clubs across the nation are not for profit and rely on membership fees, sponsors and grants to fund their operations. As the Sorrento Life Saving Club website states, the primary role of the club is to patrol the beaches and maintain a safe environment for the public and to do this they rely on their volunteer members. Surf life saving clubs such as Sorrento and their dedicated members deserve recognition for their hard work, time and effort in creating a safe environment on Australia's beaches and coastline through patrols, education and training, public safety campaigns and the promotion of health and fitness.

I believe that each of these valued volunteers should wear the iconic red and yellow uniform with pride, knowing that they are making a real difference. I congratulate all those members of not only the Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club but all the surf life saving clubs across Western Australia and across Australia for the outstanding work that they do for our local community, for the people of Australia and for visitors to Australia. The coalition's promised funding and commitment to working with Surf Life Saving Australia will provide great value and support surf life saving clubs right across Australia.