Motions

Surf Life Saving South Australia

Mr SPEIRS (Bright) (11:31): I move:

That this house acknowledges the incredible work of Surf Life Saving South Australia and its 20 clubs around the state's precious coastline, and in particular—

(a) the time spent patrolling our beaches throughout the 2015-16 and 2016-17 surf lifesaving seasons;

(b) the commitment to serving coastline communities; and

(c) the ongoing efforts to ensure our beaches are safe for South Australian families.

It gives me great pleasure to be able to speak on this motion. With summer upon us, it is an opportune time to reflect on the valuable role of Surf Life Saving in South Australia and to use this opportunity to place on the public record this house's sincere appreciation for the work that Surf Life Saving, the organisation, and surf lifesavers, as volunteers, do in our coastal communities across our state.

Support for Surf Life Saving has traditionally been a bipartisan issue in this parliament and it has been an honour to work with the member for Kaurna in the formation of Parliamentary Friends of Surf Life Saving. This has given us the chance to host a number of reception events in Parliament House over the past few years where we have been able to celebrate and recognise the achievements of clubs and individuals within the movement, exposing the organisation to other parliamentarians and hopefully increasing the parliament's understanding of Surf Life Saving and what it contributes to our communities.

Surf Life Saving has a long and proud history in South Australia, with the first club formed at Henley in 1925. This was 18 years after the first clubs nationally were established in Sydney in 1907. Henley was soon joined by Seacliff in 1930, Glenelg in 1931, Port Elliot in 1933 and Moana in 1938. A period of some difficulty then emerged, and I am grateful for the Surf Life Saving South Australia website for providing some of this interesting history. Basically, a dispute arose between the Royal Life Saving Society, which had traditionally had responsibility for beach safety in South Australia, and the role of Surf Life Saving clubs came into conflict with these traditional stewards of the water.

South Australia's coastal waters were actually officially declared inland and it was declared that any clubs would have to be part of the Royal Life Saving Society rather than of Surf Life Saving. It took 13 years and much meteorological evidence to declare South Australia's beaches the responsibility of Surf Life Saving and, in October 1952, Surf Life Saving South Australia was given affiliation to the national body.

This led to a period of rapid growth across the state, with Port Noarlunga being formed in 1952, joining the original five clubs. Brighton and Semaphore followed in 1953, then Christies Beach in 1954, Grange and West Beach in 1955, Whyalla and Chiton Rocks in 1957, South Port in 1959, Somerton in 1960, North Haven in 1967, Aldinga Bay in 1978, Normanville in 1998 and, much more recently, Goolwa in 2010. In 2013, Robe, in our state's South-East, became the latest to join the ranks, with a club being formed there.

In recent times, the South Australian organisation has seen considerable professionalisation, with a move in 2012 to impressive new premises known as Surf Central at West Beach. Last year, there were 8,625 Surf Life Saving members in South Australia and 2,917 young people involved in nippers. Patrolling members contributed 79,099 patrol hours, and 375 bronze medallions were awarded. South Australia has also been fortunate enough to display what it has to offer at an international level in lifesaving, hosting the Lifesaving World Championships at Christies Beach and Glenelg in 2013. Due to the phenomenal success of that event, South Australia will host them again at Glenelg in 2018. Those events have also, on both occasions, been held at the state Aquatic and Leisure Centre at Marion.

Although Surf Life Saving got underway in South Australia in the 1920s, it was not formalised until the 1950s. Between the 1920s and the 1950s, women were allowed to participate in surf sports because there was no formality around the organisation. Bizarrely, when it was formalised, national rules came into play and women were not allowed to compete, an approach not actually rectified until the early 1980s. Things have improved markedly since then, with women now making up 50 per cent of incoming membership; however, women still do not hold many leadership positions within the movement. This led to the formation of Surf Sisters in 2015.

This innovative program creates a leadership development and social network that aims to assist women develop into leadership roles within Surf Life Saving in South Australia. The goal is to see women's involvement on the representation side of Surf Life Saving grow to 50 per cent, to match the 50 per cent participation figure. I am certain that the organisation will meet this role, given the dynamic leadership provided by Clare Harris, Surf Life Saving SA's CEO and an unwavering advocate for women in leadership. I congratulate the member for Reynell on her involvement as patron of the Surf Sisters program.

Surf Life Saving plays a vital role in building stronger, healthier communities, with each of the clubs in our state playing host to a strong sense of camaraderie and encouraging fitter, healthier members through active involvement in beach sports, a need to complete regular proficiencies and a lifestyle revolving around the great South Australian outdoors. It also teaches important life-sustaining skills, from first aid to CPR, to swimming skills and water rescues. In 2015-16, Surf Life Saving in South Australia performed 258 rescues, undertook 19,337 preventative actions and 920 first aids.

With those statistics in mind, there is no doubt that Surf Life Saving in South Australia is fulfilling its role as a vital emergency service, helping to sustain that very Australian pastime of going to the beach and doing so safely. The organisation is also reaching into areas where it might not traditionally have had involvement. Of particular interest is the On the Same Wave program, an initiative which, although not limited to it, has a particular focus on young people from multicultural backgrounds who often do not have the water skills that will keep them safe, so as a group require more attention focused on engaging them in the benefits and risks of living in a coastal community and the skills they need to stay safe and stay alive.

Many members would be aware that I have a very personal connection with Surf Life Saving. I have been involved in Surf Life Saving in South Australia for far longer than I have been in public life. For me, it is an intrinsic part of my life and the lifestyle I chose to have when my family moved to Australia. In fact, like many Brits, having grown up on an unwholesome diet of watching Home and Away when I got home from school, I thought it was almost compulsory to be a surf lifesaver if you lived by the beach in Australia. That is one of the reasons, probably not the primary reason, why I pursued an interest in surf lifesaving when we arrived in Australia. I have been a member for many years of Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club in the heart of my electorate, and it is an incredibly important part of my personal community as well as the community I am privileged to represent here in this parliament.

At a local level, my understanding and knowledge of surf lifesaving is obviously shaped by the area that I represent, including not only the Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club of which, as I have mentioned, I have been a long-term member, but also my involvement in the other two clubs in my electorate, those being Seacliff Surf Life Saving Club and Somerton Surf Life Saving Club. Seacliff, Brighton and Somerton are among the largest clubs in the state.

I believe that Somerton has had over 1,000 members in the past and has about that number at the moment. They are all thriving clubs that play incredibly vital roles not just in keeping our beaches safe but also in building that sense of community along our coastal areas with many hundreds of people having active involvement in these clubs not just as patrolling members but also as social members attending dinner at these clubs on Friday evenings to eat at the bistros, to be among family and friends and to take part in social activities.

I think of the Brighton Jetty Classic and the jetty sculptures, which are incredibly important community events. They are the largest community events in my electorate in any given year, hosted by Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club. There is the Swim, Paddle, Run event organised by Seacliff Surf Life Saving Club and the Somerton Signature Challenge run by Somerton Surf Life Saving Club. These events and the community hubs created by our surf lifesaving clubs should not be overlooked as they are also integral parts of our coastal community that ought to be valued, upheld, celebrated and supported.

I want to thank the volunteers who are so involved in surf lifesaving in my local community that I represent. At Seacliff Surf Life Saving Club, the president, Andrew Chandler, and his support team were recognised earlier in the year when they were named South Australia's surf lifesaving club of the year. I was disappointed that they were narrowly pipped at the post for the title of national surf lifesaving club of the year, but I am convinced they came very close to taking that award as well. It is a fantastic club there at Seacliff, and they have built a very strong community in recent years.

As many members would know, they have partnered with me locally in developing the Beach for All initiative to create equitable access to beaches for people with a disability. Seacliff was the first club to pioneer that. That took a lot of work by them. It was not something that could just be easily rolled out on the beach in a couple of minutes. It takes commitment from the club and commitment from the individual members to make that happen. I have put it on record here before, but I want to put on record again the incredible contribution that Seacliff have made to making Beach for All and that equitable beach access project a viable possibility.

I want to congratulate the members of the Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club, led by president Christopher Parsons. Again, as I have mentioned, Brighton is an incredibly strong surf lifesaving community, and central to that are their annual events—the Brighton Jetty Classic and the jetty sculptures—that they run there. The Brighton Jetty Classic is South Australia's largest open-water swim, and it is a fantastic event held on the first Sunday of February each year.

Finally, the northern boundary of my electorate is where you find Somerton Surf Life Saving Club on Repton Road at North Brighton. This is another great club. It has also, while I have been the representative for that area, been named South Australia's club of the year a couple of times. It is a strong club, a thriving community and a great place to be a member.

In conclusion, I would like to thank all those who work in and volunteer with Surf Life Saving SA and its 20 clubs in our coastal communities around the state. They form a vital emergency service. Sometimes they are overlooked and not seen as an emergency service in the same vein as we might think of the SES, the CFS or the Metropolitan Fire Service, but they are absolutely a vital emergency service. They are keeping our beaches safe and making our coastal communities stronger and healthier.

We wish all surf lifesavers in South Australia a successful and very safe 2016 season. I hope that not only do they get the opportunity to enjoy the contribution they make to the community through their involvement in Surf Life Saving but that they also get the opportunity to enjoy getting down to our beautiful beaches and being part of our Australian beach culture.

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (11:45): At the beginning, I would like to congratulate the member for Bright, David Speirs, on bringing this motion and for his work together—

Mr Pengilly: Don't mention his name.

Ms HILDYARD: Okay, thank you—he who shall not be named. I congratulate the member for Bright and the member for Kaurna on their work in Parliamentary Friends of Surf Life Saving. It has been wonderful to work with them on those functions but, really importantly, it has been really lovely to have that camaraderie with both the member for Bright and the member for Kaurna when we are together at various Surf Life Saving functions and, indeed, sometimes at the beach. I look forward to hearing you on the radio waves, member for Bright, and seeing you at the beach patrolling this summer. Congratulations again on bringing this motion and on your commitment to surf lifesaving.

Recently, it was my immense pleasure to attend, as I try to most years, our Surf Life Saving SA awards night. This year, the awards happened in the form of our inaugural Surf Life Saving SA Red and Yellow Ball. This is most certainly the night of Surf Life Saving nights, and it was wonderful to be there to help present some very well-deserved awards with the member for Bright and our Minister for Emergency Services and to hear our minister speak, rightly, about the incredible dedication and commitment of Surf Life Saving volunteers.

There were of course award winners on the night. I congratulate them again, particularly those members from my club—Christies Beach Surf Life Saving Club—who won awards for their outstanding service: Cal Silcock, Grant Brown, Richard Nurmi, Craig Hobart and Peter George. It is to all of our Surf Life Saving volunteers to whom we as a South Australian community owe both our congratulations and our deep thanks.

Surf lifesaving holds a very special place in my heart. It is the community that as a child made me feel safe, included and part of a much bigger community family. Surf lifesaving is indeed the epitome of what being part of a strong and active community that looks out for all community members is all about. My first club was West Beach Surf Life Saving Club, where my brother and sisters and I participated and competed—including, in the case of my sisters and I, before we were officially admitted as lifesavers—and where we were coached in our beach sprinting and flag pursuits by our wonderful, very patient and very kind member for Colton. He certainly was one of those people at that lifesaving club who made our family very welcome and included.

I remember our club at the time (West Beach) being filled with great women and great men equally committed to keeping our beaches safe, to keeping active and fit and to volunteering to make our club inclusive, welcoming and successful. Women in lifesaving are such a strong part of our history, and together we will ensure that they continue to be a thriving part of our future. I have excellent memories of being included in club life and of competing at carnivals across our beautiful coast, including at South Port, where one of my best memories, as well as the camaraderie and excitement of competing in the carnival itself, was joining thousands of other young nippers to slide down the enormous sandhills at the conclusion of the carnival.

My brother, who was a much more successful athlete than I was, made successive lifesaving teams. I remember very fondly my mum packing up our green Holden HG station wagon to drive us around the country, literally, to watch him at carnivals along the beautiful coastline of Australia. However, I also remember a night at our club, when a sombre mood gripped those present after a day when our senior members had to perform the most difficult of rescues to literally save the lives of fellow community members who found themselves in the most difficult circumstances in the sea. It is with great pleasure and so much respect that I see at lifesaving events and functions now a number of these heroic club members who included me as a kid in our club family, and so many of them—and now their children—still, after all those years, patrol our beaches.

As everyone in this house knows, South Australia is blessed with the finest beaches in the country. Our beaches are amongst the best in the world. They are accessible and, because of our surf lifesavers, they are safe. In my electorate, in our beautiful southern community we are blessed with vistas at O'Sullivan Beach and the glorious Christies Beach that I feel very lucky to live so close to. Christies Beach is made all the better by the invaluable contribution of my club, the Christies Beach Surf Life Saving Club.

This club is very dear to my heart. It is filled with generous friends who have selflessly spent so much time keeping our local community safe. Some of them, like the incredible Richard Nurmi and Julieanne Locher—and Richard Nurmi this year clocked up 2,000 patrol hours—also spent time assisting me to achieve my bronze medallion again, along with my dear friend and fellow patrolling member, Belinda Uphill. Trust me, Madam Deputy Speaker, that was quite a task.

I also heap praise on Port Noarlunga Surf Life Saving Club, and the South Port Surf Life Saving Club in the member for Kaurna's electorate, for the outstanding work they do to make our beautiful mid-coast beaches, which are now part of the Mid Coast Surfing Reserve, safe and to promote inclusivity and a sense of community in all that they do. I know that I feel safer and a strong sense of community when I see the two red and yellow flags on our beaches, but it is more than the flags. It is about 8,500 surf club members, with more than 2,600 patrolling members across 20 Surf Life Saving clubs who give up not just weekend after weekend and public holidays to patrol but countless other hours to make our Surf Life Saving clubs functioning and effective.

This interwoven network binds our coastal communities and produces a sense of belonging to and ownership of a natural asset we all share. Our clubrooms are beacons for our communities, bringing us together not only to swim and be safe but to share a meal and enjoy one another's company. I see the spirit in my own club, the mighty Christies Beach, in every club that I visit and in every lifesaver I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Our clubs across the coast help our communities to grow, to learn and to compete across all ages. Our nippers learn lessons that stay with them for life, including the importance of physical activity and beach safety, but the lesson in community spirit and giving is perhaps the most important lesson.

Our government continues to recognise the centrality and importance of Surf Life Saving SA to our state. We have provided more than $18 million to Surf Life Saving SA and its affiliated clubs across the state for the provision of emergency services. Of this, $11 million has gone towards new and upgraded facilities at Christies Beach, Somerton, North Haven, Brighton, Seacliff, Port Noarlunga, Henley and South Port, as well as the new headquarters, Surf Central at West Beach, which I had the pleasure of visiting recently to host and chair my Women in Sport task force.

On that note, another fantastic program I am very proud to support is Surf Sisters. This program targets aspiring females within Surf Life Saving SA's volunteer membership and will support women of every age (including those of my age) who need some intensive help to complete their bronze. It also provides pathways and skills that enable girls and women to take up leadership positions within their local clubs as coaches, officials and trainers.

Surf Sisters is about celebrating our women lifesavers, and it is about creating an opportunity for further and deeper involvement of women in lifesaving. As was mentioned by the member for Bright, I am deeply honoured to be the patron of this program. In speaking about that program, I did want to mention some of my Surf Sisters. At the recent AGM of the Christies Beach Surf Life Saving Club, for the first time in our club's history—and I think for the first time in Surf Life Saving SA's history—we elected a woman president, Madeline Nurmi; vice president, Kerrin Amos; and club captain, Tina Hobart Hands.

When speaking about Surf Sisters, as the member for Bright did, I also have to mention the incredible Clare Harris, who is one of the few CEOs of any sporting or emergency service body here in South Australia. Clare Harris does an incredible job not only in administering Surf Life Saving but also in supporting initiatives like Surf Sisters and so many other programs that promote surf lifesaving. Along with her board members, she has been absolutely instrumental in securing the world lifesaving titles that will be here again in 2018.

I want to conclude by wishing all the best to all of the lifesavers who will patrol our beaches over season 2016-17, and again thank them for their incredible and selfless service to our community.

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton) (11:54): I congratulate the member for Bright on bringing this motion to the house. I think it was only the last sitting week when I spoke about surf lifesaving and the wonderful clubs that I have in my electorate in general and the wonderful job that surf lifesavers do.

I ask you, Deputy Speaker, and it might be rhetorical, but is there is anything more synonymous with Australia than our beautiful coastline, our beaches and, indeed, the bronzed Aussies who patrol them? Although, things have changed. They are certainly not as bronzed as they used to be because we are much more conscious about what the sun can do to you. Surf lifesaving was an early adopter of making sure that those people who are out in the sun all the time were properly protected in their duty of protecting those who were at the beach.

I was in the very first nippers that was established in South Australia—I think it was 1969—at the Henley Surf Life Saving Club. We used to get teased by a bloke called Paul Snelling, who used to say, 'The wee little nippers', and stuff like that. There were those who I grew up with who played cricket and there were others who went to the surf lifesaving club during summer, and for the life of me, as much as I love cricket, why would you stand out in 40º weather, chasing a ball around the oval when you—

Mr Duluk: That's un-Australian.

The Hon. P. CAICA: No, I love cricket. In fact, the test starts in four minutes, but my point is this: for someone who was not a very good cricketer, who fielded at fine leg and then had to run down to fine leg, and never got a bat and never got a bowl, I thought it was far more appropriate for me to spend 40º days standing in knee-deep water, patrolling beaches and making our beaches safer than what otherwise would have been the case.

I will say this too: the culture of surf lifesaving was, I think, although others might disagree, very good for me in my growth as a person. The clubs looked after the younger fellows. They were engaged properly. They were properly looked after and, in addition to that, people like me were able to learn the skills that are so vital to ensuring that you become, not just an adequate surf lifesaver but one who is able to patrol and protect those people who are beachgoers.

I make this point too: there is a lot about competition within surf lifesaving, and that competitive aspect is a very good thing with clubs competing against each other at the state and national level because it is really just honing the skills that are required to be able to discharge your responsibilities properly. The training that is now provided and the expectations in gaining the qualifications that are required to be able to patrol the beach are very good qualifications and they have changed dramatically over the years.

The other thing that has changed for the better is that, when I joined surf lifesaving, there were no women members. They were either members of the auxiliary who raised funds or the social club. Now surf lifesaving is much better for the role that women play in the surf lifesaving movement.

I was interested to learn about the Surf Sisters. I was familiar with it anyway, but for a bloke who has not been an active member for quite a while, I think we should have a similar type of system that would help an old man like me, should I decide to go back and become an active member. It is safe to say that I will not be doing butterfly around the cans, not that I ever would, in becoming active again, but stranger things have happened and maybe I will go back to it.

I was a member of the Henley Surf Life Saving Club for a long time and West Beach for a few years. I enjoyed my time at West Beach, where I was fortunate enough to coach some very good athletes, one of whom, Luke, is the brother of the member for Reynell. The objective over those three years was to make a senior relay final at the national level. We dropped short a couple of times in the semifinals, but were able to make the finals in the juniors, and many of those people who I coached at that stage went on to different clubs and achieved gold medals at the national level, one of whom was Luke Hildyard and another was Charles Sheffield.

I am going to finish off. I said I would not keep the house long, and I know that the member for Hammond is sitting on the edge of his seat to start talking about this. I just want to finish off by again congratulating the member for Bright on bringing this motion to the house, that this parliament does recognise the enormous amount of hours that are spent by volunteers in patrolling our beaches and making them safer than would otherwise be the case; and the commitment of those of those involved within Surf Life Saving to serving not just our coastline communities but also others who visit the beach. I think over 80 per cent of Australia's population is around the coastal areas, so it is all people who go to the beach. The Australian way of life is enhanced through the role that Surf Life Savers play in South Australia and throughout Australia.

I want to put in a plug and say that I was very pleased that the government decided some time ago to increase the level of facilities funding. Henley has been a beneficiary, and those who look around the Henley Surf Life Saving Club say, 'This is fantastic.' Grange is currently being done. I hope we can work out ways in which West Beach can be properly accommodated in this area. Also, to the rest of those clubs in South Australia who have not had access to that facilities funding, I know they will in the future. I commend the motion to the house.

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (12:01): I congratulate the member for Bright on this excellent motion:

That this house acknowledges the incredible work of Surf Life Saving South Australia and its 20 clubs around the state's precious coastline, and in particular—

(a) the time spent patrolling our beaches throughout the 2015-16 and 2016-17 surf lifesaving seasons;

(b) the commitment to serving coastline communities; and

(c) the ongoing efforts to ensure our beaches are safe for South Australian families.

I, along with other members of this house, cannot say enough about Surf Life Saving, the many lives they save and the safe practices they put in place to get people to swim between the flags. I am amazed that when you are at a beach, whether it is in South Australia or interstate, there are always people who tend to drift off from the flags. If they want to stay safe and be under the direct, watchful eye of those very valuable people, our surf lifesavers, they need to swim between the flags.

I just want to talk about the Goolwa Surf Life Saving Club, which has only been around since 2010. I would like to acknowledge everyone there, including club captain, David Reynolds. Goolwa Surf Life Saving Club offers beach patrols from October through to the end of March, and training is provided in the following areas: bronze surf lifesaving medallion, surf rescue certificate, radio operator training, first aid, advanced resuscitation, spinal management, surf rescue, inflatable rescue boat crew and driver training, and much more.

In 2015, along with other clubs, Goolwa were the recipients of a $5,000 grant as part of the commonwealth's Beach Safety Equipment Fund. The total grant will equate to $25,000 spread over five years. I also note that the Goolwa Surf Life Saving Club are in the process of upgrading their club facilities, which will be great to see going into the future. I understand a new state-of-the-art facility will be built behind Bombora cafe as part of a redevelopment plan that is being worked though with Alexandrina Council, and it will complement their lookout facility near the car park.

I certainly commend the work of the Goolwa Surf Life Saving Club, as Goolwa is a dangerous beach. Swimmers are strongly urged not to swim beyond the first line of breakers as the currents are extremely strong. I have not been out there for a little while, but back in the summer of 2009 my boys and I were swimming at the beach and the next thing I knew, due to the undercurrents, I had one fly past my right so I grabbed him, and the other one went past on the left. If I had three kids, I would have been in strife, because I was hanging on to two of them. It can certainly be an issue. They were only nine and six years old at the time, so it was a valuable lesson in what can happen with those undercurrents.

Sadly, we see so many people get caught who do not understand the rips and undercurrents, especially around the South Coast. There have been some terrible tragedies over time, when people have not taken heed or have just not realised that they need to take heed of the conditions at our various beaches. Certainly take notice of the signage, and acknowledge the fact that water can be a very dangerous place, and not just if you are swimming. There is also the potential for shark attacks and that kind of thing. I congratulate everyone involved in Surf Life Saving SA and more broadly, who take time to look after their community.

Surf lifesaving first commenced in Sydney in 1907, and it has come a long way since then. The first club in South Australia was founded at Henley in 1925, and in 2014 Adelaide won the contract to host the Lifesaving World Championships in 2018. This is an event that is known to be the largest lifesaving event in the world, and 2018 is certainly set to be the biggest. In regard to people looking for information about how to manage swimming in the surf and to get some lifesaving tips, they can go to the Surf Life Saving website, which can provide those tips. I encourage potential swimmers to look first for information such as how to spot a rip and how to survive a rip.

Between 1 July 2014 and 30 June 2015 271 people drowned in Australian waterways. This number would have been far higher without the fantastic work of our lifesavers. I guess that is the biggest challenge for all of us, to try to get that number down to zero. That might be a near impossible task, but that number would have been far greater if it were not for the valuable contribution of all these volunteers right across the state and the nation in helping their fellow swimmers, and people who are essentially going down to the water to have a good time. The last thing you want is to have a tragedy.

I salute everyone involved in surf lifesaving and commend all the work they do. It is absolutely valuable work, as all voluntary work is. We could not afford to pay them for the things they do to keep our community safe. I commend this excellent motion from the member for Bright.

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (12:08): I would also like to rise and say a few words about the member for Bright's motion, in particular about how his genesis into surf lifesaving started. I do not know quite what they thought when they saw a scrawny, white-skinned, ginger-headed Scotsman in budgie-smugglers on the beach, but well done to him for getting involved. I know he is intensely involved these days and I pay full credit to him, as do other members in this place.

I have three surf lifesaving clubs in my electorate—Normanville, Chiton Rocks and Port Elliot—and they all do a fantastic job in their own way. I do not intend to go through a list of names or call out names because if I do that I will leave someone out, but I know they are dedicated to the cause. Chiton Rocks has a lot of metropolitan people in it who come down to their shacks and whatnot at Victor, and Normanville is another surf lifesaving club of enormous consequence on the western Fleurieu. It does a great job, and I have been there several times over the years.

Port Elliot is by far the biggest club. They have an enormous membership there. They train and look after lots and lots of nippers and they are a very dedicated club. They work consistently throughout the warmer months of the year. Indeed, I have seen Port Elliot Surf Life Saving Club members out there when the water would be about minus 5º I would have thought.

It is interesting that 69 per cent of Australians do not know how to identify a rip in the sea. We are a nation of water lovers and we have immigration to the country of people who are not used to the sea. Let me say that I am very familiar with cases of drowning in my electorate in the last couple of years, particularly at Petrel Cove. Indeed, I lost my own cousin at the age of 17, in 1979, who drowned at Pennington Bay on Kangaroo Island in tragic circumstances.

We have a wide expanse of beaches around this nation and I have a wide expanse of beaches in my electorate. I have some wonderful beaches and I have some extremely wild coastal surf beaches along the Southern Fleurieu and over on Kangaroo Island. It does not really matter whether you have a spectacularly wild surf beach or you have what is not much more than a duck pond, people drown, and that is the tragedy of it.

Not enough people learn how to swim and not enough people understand that, when you get into the water, it is different, and that is why surf lifesaving clubs are there. They are also there to instil discipline and training. I have always watched with interest the challenges they have around Australia. Some of my clubs have been in competitions across Australia. I am not so sure that I want to run around in a pair of budgie-smugglers at my age, but it seems to be a fairly common occurrence by people in this country (from New South Wales) who have achieved great heights. I suspect that you won't see me down there.

It is good to see all members of the house supporting this motion from the member for Bright because it is important. I know there are many members in here who do not have sea frontage. I have lived on the sea all my life and been in and out of the sea all my life. Indeed, I probably spent more time on the water fooling around when I was kid, rather than being at school many years ago, but that is the way it is.

Surf lifesaving clubs are an integral and iconic part of Australia. They are very much an iconic part of Australia that people from overseas see, so long may they continue and long may they be supported. I do not want to get political about it at all—about men, women or anything else, quite frankly. As far as I am concerned, they are surf lifesaving clubs, they benefit the people who use the water, they benefit the young ones they train and it is most important that they continue. With those few words, I endorse the member's motion, as will the house, I am sure, very shortly.

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (12:13): I rise to support the motion from the member for Bright. The member for Bright and I, when coming into this parliament, relatively quickly joined forces to set up the Parliamentary Friends of Surf Life Saving, and it has been a very good process to be involved in. I certainly came to this parliament with a passion for representing surf lifesaving in this place, given that my electorate encompasses four fantastic surf lifesaving clubs, and there is a fifth one just outside the boundary.

In my electorate, there are surf lifesaving clubs at Aldinga Bay, Moana, South Port, Port Noarlunga and then, very close by, there is the Christies Beach Surf Life Saving Club. I certainly have a lot of involvement in my electorate work in working with those clubs, attending events and helping them apply for grants and other assistance that they need. All those clubs play a very important role across the southern coastline that I represent in keeping our beaches safe.

I am very happy to be biased in saying that we have the best beaches in my electorate and they are very popular across the summer season for people to come down and enjoy, but whenever people are out there enjoying time on the beach there are safety concerns. Having those volunteer surf lifesavers provide those patrols makes our beaches safer, because we always, sadly, will have occasions where rescues need to happen.

A very significant rescue happened in the last summer season at South Port Surf Life Saving Club, where a number of people had to be rescued at the mouth of the Onkaparinga River. It is a tremendous credit to those people, those volunteers, involved in that rescue for, without doubt, saving people's lives on that occasion. Those sorts of incidents have occurred at all the surf lifesaving clubs across the electorate.

I have to admit that when I came into parliament I was not a surf lifesaver like the member for Bright, but I have taken action and I have taken steps to address and remedy that mistake on my behalf. As of the last summer season, I undertook my bronze medallion training. I am happy to report that I passed the exam and passed the test. I am now admitted as a member of the Moana Surf Life Saving Club and am looking forward to getting out and assisting, in a very junior capacity, the patrols at Moana this year.

It was also great to be doing it at the same time that my colleague the member for Reynell was also working through her bronze medallion at the Christies Beach Surf Life Saving Club. I am happy to report that we had our exam in the same group on the same day and both passed fantastically, which I have to say was a great relief because the training is a lot harder than you initially think when you get into it. I should note as well that the member for Colton, in his early days, was a surf lifesaver. I have encouraged him to get back into it and get out patrolling with the Henley Surf Life Saving Club. Maybe next year I will be able to report that he has re-enlisted.

Another great experience I had with the member for Bright earlier this year was a day experiencing life up in the surf helicopter that the Surf Life Saving SA head office runs. It patrols mainly the Adelaide coastline, but it goes down to the South Coast as well, over the summer season, looking for sharks and providing warnings if needed, looking for swimmers who might be in danger and also providing important coverage and patrols when those big surf carnivals and big beach events are happening. The professionalism displayed by the volunteers who get up and provide that service in the helicopter was fantastic to see. It was also great, of course, to see our beautiful coastline from a very different perspective.

I am very happy to support this motion. I thank all the thousands of people who are involved as volunteers for Surf Life Saving SA. As a parliament, we cannot thank you enough and we cannot provide you with enough assistance to make sure that you have all the resources that you need. It is a tremendous role and something that we should all be very thankful for, that we have such committed, willing and capable people out there who, year after year, are willing to dedicate their hours and time and also put themselves at some risk to save the lives of members of the public.

Mr WINGARD (Mitchell) (12:18): I also rise today to speak in support of the motion put forward by the member for Bright that acknowledges the incredible work of the Surf Life Saving SA crew and the 20 clubs within South Australia. My electorate runs parallel to the member for Bright's electorate. He has all the coastline and I have all the wonderful people who go to that coastline; hence, they are very heavily involved in the three surf lifesaving clubs that fit in the Bright electorate, so I have an association by default.

I follow the lead of the member for Bright, who is very actively involved in this area. I follow along on his coat-tails, and I am very happy to be working with him and supporting him and all the clubs in our local communities. I would like to talk about those three clubs. I have a bit of a personal involvement with all three, which is a great thing for me, as they are a great part of our community.

The Somerton Surf Life Saving Club, as was pointed out, was established in 1960 and has over 1,000 members—in fact, they reached that mark in 2014, which was a great achievement—360 nippers and 200 patrolling members. They offer a great social context to our community as well. I have been down to the club on Friday nights at their bistro. They have a great schnitzel and a wonderful cafe downstairs as well. If you are walking along the beach there, just go up the ramp and you can grab yourself a nice coffee and something to eat at any time. The president, Mark Williams, is doing a marvellous job along with vice president, John Stewart. Margie Brown is the secretary and Davey Taylor is the Treasurer. Club captain there is James McBride. This is a great group of people.

From the junior perspective, the activities officer is Gary Irvine, and the junior administrator is Francie Bourke. Sarah Hosking, who is a personal friend of mine, is the volunteer coordinator. There are so many more on the committee there. We know these clubs are made up of volunteers, and I have just mentioned a few, but they do a marvellous job and I thank them very much for all they do. I need to mention Adam Betterman, too. He is a friend of mine and he is also the boat captain.

My son this year has joined with a group of his mates down there. They are in the rowing crew, and it is a sight to see. These strapping young lads get out there doing plenty of training and looking fit. Just last week, they did their bronze medallion, which was fantastic to see. They will be looking forward to competing this summer, and I hope they go well and stay safe.

The Seacliff Surf Life Saving Club was established in 1930, and I have an affinity with them. Interestingly, when I talk about surf lifesaving clubs, I talk about their bistros and cafes first because that is where I like to go as I can watch what is happening on the beach. These clubs, as they have developed over the years, have set up wonderful facilities.

The Seacliff club is tucked away on the point and not many people know about it, but I can tell you that it is the place to go if you want to have a coffee on an afternoon and take a lovely beach walk. They are open on Thursday and Friday evenings, on Thursday to Saturday in the mornings and on Sundays from nine until late. It is a great spot where all people are welcome, and they hire the venue out for functions as well. The president is Andrew Chandler, who is an old schoolmate of mine, and he is doing a marvellous job. He really puts a lot of hours into working with the juniors and the seniors at the Seacliff Surf Life Saving Club, and he is doing a marvellous job in our community.

Glen Patten is the deputy president, Tanya Evans is the secretary, Gareth Gray is the treasurer and Russell Scott is the club captain. I am also very conscious of the junior committee, and the junior chairperson is Jacinta Day. As I mentioned, Andrew Chandler is the president, and he also runs a running club down there. My youngest son, Heath, has been involved with his running club, and I have been super impressed to see what they offer back to the community. The kids who engage with them are just outstanding, and what they give back to our community has to be commended.

I am not sure that the member for Bright mentioned this, as he is probably being a little bit unassuming, so I must say that, at the Seacliff Surf Life Saving Club, he has rolled out the disability beach access mat, and I know all people in our local community are so appreciative of this. It is a fantastic idea championed by the member for Bright, and I follow behind him in giving him all the support I can for this great initiative. He has done a marvellous job, and I must commend the Seacliff Surf Life Saving Club for picking up this initiative, running with it and making it happen. I know it is greatly appreciated in our area.

As the member for Bright also mentioned, Seacliff was named South Australia's club of the year, which is a great achievement. They just missed out on the national honours, but they must be very proud of their efforts. The other club is the Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club which was established in 1953. I was a member there for a stint while my kids went through the nippers program. My eldest daughter, Amy, went on and did her bronze there and patrolled the beaches for a little while. My two youngest kids, Heath and Brooke, also took part in the nippers, and I helped out on the beach on many a Saturday afternoon.

The cold days were not quite as enjoyable when the wind blew. The kids got in the water and, when they came out, the wind would just put the chill through them. It was hard to keep the kids engaged on those days, but the nice, warm, sunny days were fantastic, and we had loads of fun keeping the kids very active on the beach. Again, the number of kids that you see taking part is just sensational. They also run the Brighton Jetty Classic, which is a brilliant community event. The nippers had a come and try weekend—as did all of the clubs, actually—late in October.

Billy Jackson is the captain of the Brighton club. When I go there and catch up with people, it is wonderful to see so many young people, and some not so young people, coming through the club. Graham Cummings is a great man who has been around the club for a while, along with Marty Minear and Des Staite—a couple of personal friends of mine who are involved with the club and do great things. Chris Pearman is a youngster who puts back into the club along with Sarah Strudwick and Sophie Heath. Ayesha Hastings and her sister Olivia are very much involved with the club, as is Sophie Burns. Willis Hammond-Brown is another young lad I had a bit to do with in footy, and he is heavily involved in the surf lifesaving club. Max Wittwer-Smith and the Wittwer-Smith family are big contributors to the Brighton club.

They are great community clubs in our local area, and it is a pleasure to support them. More importantly, this is a great opportunity, as has been pointed out in this motion, to thank them for all the great work they do in our community. It is greatly appreciated. They do a lot of work on our beaches and they save lives, which is absolutely outstanding. What surf clubs do to develop young people, and older people for that matter, in our community is give them a great road to travel and a great path to follow, and it enables them to give back to our community. That is a great attribute of all the surf clubs that I have been involved with, but in particular the Somerton, Seacliff and Brighton clubs.

I look forward to continuing my relationship with them, as does the member for Bright. Whatever happens with the boundaries as they are redistributed in the coming weeks, it is great to have that association with these clubs. I thank all 20 clubs in South Australia and everyone involved for the great work that they do. I look forward to supporting them in the future.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (12:25): I, too, rise to make to make a contribution to the motion put forward by the member for Bright acknowledging the incredible work that Surf Life Saving South Australia and its 20 clubs do around the state. First of all, I would like to acknowledge my father-in-law, who was a multiple Australian surf lifesaving champion. He was an outstanding lifesaver on the New South Wales Central Coast at Avoca Beach. He had many awards and tributes paid to him back in his day, and people still recognise him today when we visit Avoca Beach Surf Life Saving Club.

To give a bit of history, the first South Australian club was established at Henley in 1925, and it was initially affiliated with the Royal Life Saving Society. The emergence of more clubs along South Australian beaches—Seacliff, Glenelg, Port Elliot and Moana—and South Australian members competing at interstate surf competitions led to a push for the formation of a state centre for the surf lifesaving association in South Australia. In October 1952, representatives from five clubs—Brighton, Glenelg, Henley, Moana and Seacliff—met with representatives from Surf Life Saving Australia and Royal Life Saving Society, and the outcome was the formation of what is now known as Surf Life Saving South Australia.

Port Noarlunga, in 1952, was the first to join the original five clubs. Brighton and Semaphore followed in 1953, and then Christies Beach in 1954, and Grange and West Beach joined in 1955. Whyalla and Chiton Rocks, South Port, Somerton, North Haven, Aldinga Bay, Normanville and Goolwa also joined. For over 60 years, Surf Life Saving South Australia has patrolled the beaches in the state. There are now 19 clubs and 9,000 members to keep South Australian beaches safe.

The 2014-15 annual report of Surf Life Saving SA shows that volunteers provided more than 79,000 hours of service to our beaches, from Goolwa to North Haven and regionally in Robe and Whyalla. Last season, an estimated 9.2 million beach visits took place along South Australian beaches, and our dedicated lifesavers rescued 258 people, an increase of 42 per cent on the previous year.

In response to the Coroner's report into the three drowning deaths at Petrel Cove, Surf Life Saving SA is well advanced in its planning to establish a multiuse rescue hub at Victor Harbor. In 2014-15, they delivered 33 surf sports events and partnered with other sports on a further 12 major events. I am sure that one of those events was the True Grit event in the Riverland on the great River Murray. Surf Life Saving SA provided a service to keep those True Grit participants safe when they slid down the mudslide into the river and they made sure that no one stayed on the bottom, that they all surfaced.

The major highlight for Surf Life Saving SA was a successful bid to host the 2018 Lifesaving World Championships. In 2014-15, the season was unfortunately South Australia's most lethal in more than a decade, with twice as many people dying than the 50-year average and 14 coastal deaths recorded. All these situations occurred outside patrolling periods or where no lifesaving services were provided, which goes to show the great work they do. Their presence is a great asset for our beaches, for our visitors, for our beachgoers, as it keeps them safe not only by saving lives and pulling people out of the ocean when they are in distress but also with shark patrols and helping other people who are particularly in trouble.

I also note that a significant number of migrants are getting themselves into trouble, entering our waterways, and our ocean off our beautiful beaches, not able to swim and going out above their capacity. It is a growing trend, and we need to see more education, more resources put into those migrants who are going into our waters. Surf Life Savings SA members performed 79,000 patrol hours and 258 successful rescues, and that increase is testament to what they are achieving.

Beach-based patrols were supported by the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter, jet rescue boats, water rescue craft and the Surfcom Communications Centre, and these were all operated by volunteers. Again, we have to pay homage to those volunteers who are not just on the beach performing the essential lifesaving duties but also behind the scenes, manning the radio, driving the boats, keeping our surf clubs in good shape and making sure that the equipment is in good nick so that, when it is used, it is used for the right reasons and it is there for the right reasons.

Of course, we have to acknowledge that last year the South Australian Club of the Year was Seacliff Surf Life Saving Club. I also acknowledge that from 2014 Surf Life Saving SA was successful in receiving funding to conduct VACSWIM across 39 coastal sites around South Australia. The program is aimed at providing children aged 5 to 13 with opportunities to develop a range of skills and confidence in water safety, emergency procedures and survival in the water.

As a young fellow, I remember vividly going out with a mask, snorkel and flippers on that I had received at Christmas. All of a sudden you would get out above your depth, and then you had to be on guard. It was always a challenge as a young fellow to swim or paddle out to the blue line because that was always the target: to get out and see what was out there. I remember a couple of my friends got themselves into trouble at Somerton Beach. Those young mates of mine were soon brought to their senses by the surf lifesavers who got them out of the water and gave them a bit of a stern talking to because they were not appropriately suited to going out in deep water. That was a reality check for me and for many others that day.

In 2013, Labor cut $140,000 from the helicopter shark patrols, effectively reducing the helicopter's flying hours from 300 to 210 over that busy summer period. Back then, for the 2014 election, the state Liberals announced that they would reinstate that funding. It is funny how the government, some months later essentially backflipped on the decision and reinstated that funding to make sure that the helicopter service was there in full with the 300 hours.

In January this year, it was reported that Surf Life Saving SA wanted more schools to choose ocean safety lessons following the tragic drownings of two boys at Glenelg. Surf Life Saving SA Chief Executive, Clare Harris—a great asset to surf lifesaving in South Australia and does a great job—said that instructors taught about 5,500 students from 50 schools each year about assessing the surf, identifying rips and swimming between the flags.

The South Australian education department funds about 3.75 hours of swimming lessons per year from reception to year 2. From year 3, schools can choose between swimming and surf education sessions, usually 7.5 hours per year per student, with other aquatic activities also an option for year 6 students. South Australian Primary Principals Association President, Pam Kent, said the school time devoted to swimming was not enough to produce competent swimmers. The South Australian education department said that it employed 800 instructors to lead an efficient, cost-effective program.

Given the numbers of migrants drowning in South Australian waters, I think that one of the take-home messages is that we need to put more effort, exercise and programming into educating our migrants who are swimming in our seas and oceans and who are vulnerable to drowning. More importantly, I think we need to pay homage to and acknowledge the great work lifesavers in South Australia do and the great work that the lifesaving fraternity does right around the national coastline and all our waterways. They do a remarkable job.

Volunteers do a great service for the culture of South Australia and for those who enjoy a visit to the beach and enjoy our great coastal waters. Lifesaving in South Australia is strong. It could always do with more funding, and it could always do with more education programs, but all in all they do a great job.

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (12:35): I have a wonderful length of coastline in my electorate and along that coastline I share the Somerton Surf Life Saving Club with the member for Bright and, of course, the Glenelg Surf Life Saving Club and, currently, the West Beach Surf Life Saving Club, which, if the redistribution goes through, I will be very sadly losing.

The role of surf lifesaving in South Australia is one that none of us can overlook in any way, shape or form because the iconic picture of that surf lifesaver with hand on brow, looking out to sea into the sun for anybody at risk or in danger is one we all know well. We all know the red and yellow caps and the flags, and we know the message, 'Swim between the flags.' Surf lifesaving in South Australia is something that all of us respect and value, and certainly in this place, with this motion, we are imploring all South Australians to continue to support it, particularly through the parliament.

The membership of Surf Life Saving is diverse; in fact, I saw a very senior public servant at Somerton Surf Life Saving Club the other day. Surf lifesaving would be a wonderful diversion away from his high-pressure role in his department, and you can see that when you talk to him about the surf and what is going on—and you can see that right down to the nippers. At Somerton, there are over 1,000 members—over 1,000 members. Obviously, not all of them live in the wonderful electorates of Bright or Morphett. They come from all over the suburbs, but they come down to that beach. I think that this year over 400 nippers were enrolled at Somerton to learn how to be safe at the beach, to learn camaraderie and to learn all about the wonderful lifestyle that is surf lifesaving.

At Glenelg Surf Life Saving Club, we had the world championships a few years ago, and we have the world championships coming back in 2018. It is the first time ever that a location, such as Glenelg, has been selected twice to hold the world championships. It is a fantastic economic input for South Australia, and it is a fantastic driver for surf lifesaving in South Australia. Surf Life Saving SA's headquarters, Surf Central, is also in my electorate at West Beach, by the Adelaide Sailing Club.

The whole organisation is one of which we can be very proud. They get a lot of their funding from donations, and they get some from the emergency services levy. I would like to see some way of increasing the funding for surf lifesaving because their role is getting broader and broader; in fact, there have even been some discussions about using surf lifesavers and their inflatable boats in swiftwater rescue in times of floods, and we know the damage and the threat that floods can be in South Australia.

The expertise that has been on display at Glenelg at the world championships, and will be on again there in 2018, can not only be put into great use as a competition, building camaraderie and building community but also in the practical sense of saving lives at the beach and also inland in the case of swiftwater rescue. Funding surf lifesaving is something we really need to do.

Surf Life Saving is also involved with aerial shark patrols and the rescue helicopters, and these are very expensive. I know Surf Life Saving have been donated an aeroplane that they can use for surf patrols. For some reason, they did not get the contract—and I will let others explain why—even though they provide a lot of the volunteer hours for those aerial patrols. We certainly know that, given the little yellow and red helicopter that zips up and down our coast with the tea bags on board. The tea bags are the surf lifesavers who go down into the water and rescue people from distress. Hopefully people will not get into distress in the first place, but the surf lifesavers are there if they need to be rescued.

Glenelg is in a pristine location on the beach with multimillion-dollar views. It is just a great location for that club, and they are another great club. West Beach Surf Life Saving Club has a long history. There are currently some serious issues with the erosion along the coastline and there are talks of relocating the surf club and where it is going to go. There are some discussions about it going north, and there are other discussions about it going south onto the northern end of the Adelaide Shores Caravan Park.

I personally think this would be a very suitable location, when you consider that the thousands of holidaymakers who stay at Adelaide Shores are often very inexperienced in swimming in the sea. It is quite different from swimming in your backyard pool. You need to know where the rips are and how to handle the surf. If the chop comes up and the waves come in, you need to know how to handle yourself and know what to do. The sea can be a very dangerous place.

This is why having surf lifesavers there to watch over us, look after us and make sure that we all enjoy our day at the beach is something that we cannot underestimate. That is why this type of motion before the house is very important for all of us. It reminds us of what we have, it reminds us of how much we need to protect it, and it reminds us of how much we need to make sure that we never lose it.

There are thousands of volunteer hours put into surf lifesaving in South Australia. I cannot remember the exact dollar figure if those hours were to be translated into economic expenditure terms, but it would be in the tens of millions of dollars. Our surf lifesavers must have hundreds of combined years of experience, and they are there not only to look after us, but to pass that knowledge on to the Nippers, who will be our next generation of surf lifesavers. It is a fantastic organisation and I know every member in this place will be at one in supporting this motion, and supporting Surf Life Saving in South Australia.

Mr SPEIRS (Bright) (12:42): I would very briefly like to thank my colleagues on both sides of the house for making contributions on the motion I moved in the house this morning supporting Surf Life Saving in the state. As we heard from all members, many who have significant surf lifesaving communities within their electorates, this is an incredibly valuable volunteer organisation which makes a phenomenal difference to the culture of our society in Australia and to the safety of our coastal communities. With that, I will close.

Motion carried.