Community Prioritisation Dashboard
This dashboard is intended to help you prepare a WE SWIM grant application. You can select one or more Local Government Areas (LGA) in the upper left corner of the dashboard and view relevant statistics for that area. The dashboard shows data from the 2021 Census and from the Royal Life Saving National Fatal Drowning Database, see below for additional information on data variables and sources.
We strongly recommend that you view this webpage on a desktop computer as the dashboard is not optimised for mobile viewing.
For tips and recommendations on how to use the Community Prioritisation Dashboard, please see the tips for using the dashboard tool below and click here for a short tutorial. If you have further questions, please contact WESWIM@rlssa.org.au.
About the data
The data included in this Community Prioritisation Dashboard is from the 2021 Census of Populating and Housing and from the Royal Life Saving Australia National Fatal Drowning Dashboard.
Census data
Census data for Country of Birth and Language Spoken at Home was pulled from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Table Builder on 10 August 2026. For the Country of Birth variable, a table was developed from the 2021 Census of Populating and Housing, 2021 – cultural diversity section with the following variables: LGA (UR), AGE5 Age in Five Year Groups by 4-digit level, and BPLP County of Birth of Person. For more information on the Country of birth of person (BPLP) variable, see more information here. For the Language Spoken at Home variable, a table was developed from the 2021 Census of Populating and Housing, 2021 – cultural diversity section with the following variables: LGA (UR), AGE5P Age in Five Year Groups and 2-digit level LANP Language Used at Home. For more information on the Country of birth of person (BPLP) variable, see more information here. For additional information on the 2021 Census Methodology, please see the ABS website.
Drowning data
The drowning data in this dashboard is from the Royal Life Saving National Fatal Drowning Database (NFDD), showing unintentional drowning deaths that occurred in Australian waterways between 1 July 2002 and 31 June 2025. This information has previously been reported in National Drowning Reports, and is offered here in a format that makes it easier to find information relevant to your WE SWIM application.
The NFDD exists to inform Coroners, Federal, State, and Local governments, institutions, the Australian Water Safety Council, and community members on drowning prevention strategies and actions. The Royal Life Saving National Fatal Drowning Database compiles information from the National Coronial Information System (NCIS), made available by the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety, in addition to State and Territory Coronial offices, The Queensland Family and Child Commission, drowning prevention organisations including Royal Life Saving State and Territory Member Organisations, Surf Life Saving Australia, and maritime safety organisations, and media reports. Additional information on the Royal Life Saving National Fatal Drowning Database is available in the latest National Drowning Report and via the Royal Life Saving Data Portal.
Tips for using the Community Prioritisation tool to prepare your WE SWIM application
2021 Census: the information on country of birth and language spoken from home is from the 2021 census, five years ago. Take this into account as some community profiles may have changed during that time. You are encouraged to use other data sources in addition to this tool to support your application, as relevant.
Resident vs incident drowning data: Drowning data provided in the dashboard includes statistics on drowning deaths based on the incident location, when the incident occurred in the selected LGA(s), and the resident location, when the people involved in the drowning were residents of the selected LGA(s). Be sure to look at both as you consider your application. Where do people who live in the LGA drown? Where to people who drown in the LGA reside? Note that the dashboard only shows groupings of five or more cases for confidentiality purposes, so some information may be suppressed.
Unknown drowning data: The country of birth variable in the NFDD is from the National Coronial Information System, and in some cases unavailable due to missing information or ongoing investigations. When evaluating the % of incidents or residents born overseas, it is important to consider the proportion of missing or unknown data before drawing conclusions.
Age group bar chart: When evaluating the bar chart, be sure to click both the language spoken at home and the country of birth for different perspectives on the selected LGA(s). For this graphic, you can also hover your mouse over each section and statistics will appear. To make the graphic full screen, click the icon in the upper right corner of the graphic.
The drowning prevention research of Royal Life Saving Australia is supported by the Australian Government.
