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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-05-16 Daily Xml
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Swim Safety

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (14:42): My question is to the Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing. Will the minister update the house on the government's Swim and Survive policy and explain how the program will save families money while increasing the safety of young children around water?

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:42): I thank the member for Kavel for his question. What an outstanding member he is and what great questions he does ask. I do want to commend him on the work he does in his community. I know, since he was campaigning, he has been incredibly well received. I spent some time up there in his community with him. He truly is loved by the people of his region.

The point he raises is a very good one, and that is about community safety and, in particular, swim safety, which is vitally important for all South Australians. The ability to implement a swim safety program and help with the cost of living that families are feeling right across our state is an absolutely wonderful policy that we are rolling out and very proud to be delivering for South Australia.

I am fortunate enough in my community to have a couple of surf lifesaving clubs—the Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club and the Somerton Surf Life Saving Club–and I share with the environment minister the Seacliff Surf Life Saving Club. In fact, I was at the Seacliff Surf Life Saving Club when we launched and announced this policy. It is a wonderful one to be delivering for our community.

The Marshall government is committed to providing financial support to families to encourage the participation of children aged one to five in water confidence and aquatic safety programs. As we said, this is just great for all communities right across the state. We will do this by providing a $50 subsidy, again to help with the cost of living, per family for children who participate in one of the surf lifesaving programs for children under five, either Surf Babies or Little Lifesavers. These are two great programs. They are specifically designed for young children and their families.

The programs aim to build the confidence of adults in taking young people to the beach through instruction about hazards, responding to beach-based emergency and supervising children in open water. This confidence is vital for the families to work with the children at a very young age so they are comfortable being at the beach. We have a lot of people that are new to Australia. To have the sorts of programs, in particular for people who haven't grown up around the beach, it is absolutely wonderful.

Surf Babies caters for parents with newborn children to two years old, whilst Little Lifesavers works with children aged three to five years old. The four key areas of learning are:

Education: sun safety and water education;

Water: fundamental water skills;

Beach: coordination and movement skills; and

First aid: CPR and basic first aid knowledge.

As I said, I was at Seacliff Beach when we launched this program, and to see the families that were there enjoying the beach, enjoying the surf, and to see them out and active with their little toddlers was absolutely outstanding. The commitment was really well received, again, to help with the cost of living because we know the cost-of-living pressures that families are feeling out there—because of the previous government—are excessive. That is not what we stand for. We stand on reducing the cost-of-living pressures on families.

Surf Life Saving South Australia will implement these programs, which will engage children and families at an early age to encourage safety around water. We all want our children to be safe at our beaches but, sadly, during recent years there have been too many swimming tragedies. With South Australia's countless beaches and waterways, it is vital that as much as possible is done to provide young children and their families with water safety education.

That is why we will financially support families who want to send their children to the Surf Life Saving water confidence and safety programs. I know on this side of the house that we are so happy to be delivering policies like this that are well received by the community and that will be beneficial for the community in safety components and also help with the cost of living. This is an outstanding policy and I do commend it to the house.

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