Published 18 May 2023
Senior leaders from across government, local government, academia and water safety organisations gathered at a two-day forum this week to target the causes of drowning in South East Queensland.
New research showing 366 people had drowned in the past 10 years just in South East Queensland, making it a drowning blackspot, prompted the Royal Life Saving to convene the forum on 15 and 16 May.
Hon Mark Ryan, Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services was joined by senior government department representatives, local government leaders, aquatic facility managers, and water safety organisations at the forum.
Royal Life Saving Society – Queensland Executive Director, Paul Barry said the key outcome of the forum was the open dialogue and sharing of initiatives.
“So many people are touched by each of these drowning deaths, and what we’ve seen over the past two days is a real willingness to work together to find strategies that work for this particular area of Queensland,” Mr Barry said.
“What we need to do now is harness all of the energy in the room and bring together a local water safety plan which captures all the local knowledge, the initiatives that are working, and how we link everyone together to drive down drowning.
“We know in South East Queensland that 45 per cent of those who died were within five kilometers of home when they drowned, and 30 per cent of people drowned in rivers and creeks. So those are two areas we need to focus on.”
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said it was important to bring the relevant agencies together through this forum.
“We have a shared responsibility with this issue so to see key agencies come together was heartening,” Mr Tate said.
“These drownings are occurring not only on the beaches but in canals, river entrances and hinterland rock pools as well as fast-running streams. Education is a key component, especially for people with limited knowledge of water safety in, and around, our waterways.”
Brendon Ward, Chief Executive Officer of the Swim Coaches and Teachers Association said the sharing of information across sectors was critical.
“Swimming and water safety education is a very important piece of the puzzle, but we need integrated solutions across the community to save lives,” Mr Ward said.
“It is valuable to hear from governments, agencies and other water safety organisations so we all get a clearer understanding of what is being done by other stakeholders and look for synergies where we could work more closely together to reduce drowning.”
Surf Life Saving Queensland’s Lifesaving Services Manager, Natalie Edwards, said the willingness to share ideas was a highlight of the forum.
“What unites us all is the recognition that drowning is preventable. By sharing experiences and knowledge we can help reduce the number of drownings in a range of aquatic environments,” Ms Edward said.
“The forum was a great opportunity to learn from one another so we can all improve what we do – saving lives.”
The Australian Water Safety Strategy 2030 sets the ambitious goal of reducing drowning by 50 per cent.
The forum was delivered by the Royal Life Saving Society – Australia with support from the Australian Government under the inland waterways drowning blackspot reduction program. It was hosted by the City of Gold Coast Council.