Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last month, I teamed up with the Royal Life Saving Society of Western Australia for the launch of their multicultural Swim and Survive course being conducted at the Ascot Kayak Club in my electorate of Swan. Trent and the team from the Royal Life Saving Society WA, Lauren and Jason from the Belmont Oasis Leisure Centre, and swimming students and instructors came down to promote the importance of the Multicultural Swim and Survive on the Swan program, a part of the Respect the River program, which is funded by the federal government.

My electorate of Swan is bordered by the Swan River, and the residents and visitors to the area spend much of their time on it, around it and in it. With the warmer months well and truly upon us, it is important that children, adults and tourists as well learn essential swimming and lifesaving skills to ensure that safety is their No. 1 priority. Australia's inland waterways like the Swan River continue to be the leading location for fatal drownings, accounting for 97 deaths in the 2016-17 year, almost one-third of the nation's drowning toll. This included 68 at rivers and creeks and 29 at lakes and dams. In Western Australia, there was a 23 per cent increase in the number of deaths occurring at inland waterways compared to the previous year. This is something we all need to address to ensure our families, friends and neighbours are safe in and around waterways. I commend the Royal Life Saving Society for its tireless efforts in teaching water safety to all Australians and to the constituents of my electorate.