Royal Life Saving Society SA

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (15:25): The Royal Life Saving Society was established in South Australia in 1909, operating statewide in schools, pools and, at that time, beaches. Since 1952, it has concentrated on inland situations with the goal of reducing the drowning rate to zero, while making a significant contribution to the South Australian community in the areas of swimming instruction, instructor training, water safety, lifesaving and drowning prevention.

Today, it operates as a not-for-profit community-based organisation, with some paid administration and a mixture of paid and volunteer staff. Water-related instruction is provided at a number of heated pools all year around and at others during the swimming season.

While some progress has been made, drowning remains a key issue in the South Australian community. In 2018, the Royal Life Saving Society reported that 15 people drowned, and more recently it has expressed concerns about drowning in migrant communities, drowning in regional areas and the need to improve the swimming and water safety skills of all South Australian children. Drowning is classed as a preventable death and, as such, the society is committed to reducing this number and turning everyday South Australians into everyday lifesavers.

This morning, I had the opportunity to visit the Payneham swimming pool, where 190 St Paul's College students—among them new migrants and refugees, many from my electorate of Torrens—participated in a five-day Swim and Survive program to learn foundation skills in swimming, survival and basic rescue. Sport and co-curricular development coordinator at the college, Nick Gillard, said that the students come from diverse backgrounds and have a low-level of swimming ability. He said:

I believe that if we can get our boys to understand water safety and how important it is to be responsible around water, then this can have an effect on the rest of their family and the community around them in years to come.

This program is just one of many programs delivered by the South Australian Royal Life Saving Society. Another is the VACSWIM program, run for all inland swimming programs including public pools, private pools, school pools and swimming lakes. This program has been responsible for the water safety education of over 200,000 children every year.

Royal Life Saving SA VET training for the aquatic sector first delivered pool lifeguard training to South Australia over 20 years ago and continues to offer high-quality VET training for the aquatic sector, including first aid and CPR. The iconic Bronze Medallion award is the culmination of years of training, resulting in a person who is able to effect a challenging rescue in any inland waterway. A team of highly trained volunteer examiners conducts examinations for this award.

Refugee and migrant learn-to-swim programs are available to community groups that have been identified as high risk through their limited exposure to water in landlocked countries or because of long periods of time spent in refugee camps. The Royal Life Saving Society provides programs to increase the understanding of dangers and skill levels in aquatic environments to reduce drowning events among these community groups.

The society also provides affordable water safety and educational school programs to private and Catholic education schools, both on site and in public pools, teaching young South Australians how to be safe in, on and around the water. The Swim and Survive program for primary school-aged children is used extensively throughout South Australia by our clubs and centres for water safety education and operates with regional liaison officers and volunteers to help coordinate the country programs, ensuring maximum attendance and program quality.

Respect the River is another vital program that addresses the many risks that are unique to river systems, especially the Murray, and educates at-risk groups, including middle-aged men. Royal Life Saving SA initiated the Pool Lifeguard Award in SA and delivers pool lifeguard accreditation and training.

In recent times, Royal Life Saving SA has faced some challenges but now has a new board and CEO and is revitalised with the aim of delivering high-quality services to the South Australian community to achieve its mission of promoting water safety, reducing drowning and near-drowning events. Throughout its long history, for generations, Royal Life Saving SA has developed deep connections with the South Australian community. With the hard work they are putting in and suitable support, they will be there for generations to come.