Royal Life Saving Australia is preparing for the summer season with a new water safety campaign, hoping to reduce a 20 year high in drowning deaths detailed in a recent report.
The Royal Life Saving National Drowning Report for 2021 to 2022 reported 339 people died of drowning across Australia.
This represents a 15 per cent increase from last year and a 24 per cent increase on the 10 year average.
Former athlete and ambassador for the 2022 Summer Safety campaign for Royal Life Saving New South Wales, Matt Shirvington, was also quick to remind Australians to take care when getting into their local waterways as the extreme weather may have created some additional hazards.
"This summer it's all about reminding ourselves of changing conditions. Of course regional areas particularly have been affected by floodwaters and what used to be an area that you may be familiar with or understand could have changed. The entrypoints could have changed, the moving debris underneath the surface of the water, the water itself could still be flowing stronger than it ever has."
Royal Life Saving New South Wales' Craig Roberts, stressed the importance of addressing a rise in drowning deaths among Australians from migrant backgrounds who may have lacked target programs and in-language educational resources until now.
"If there is any migrant communities where they haven't had that opportunity to learn to swim, you're never to old to start. We have a range of programs within the community and so does your local aquatic facility that can guide you through the necessary steps and those lessons to get into the water and then learn to have some fun and learn some of those essential swimming and survival skills."
