Swimming – a life skill for life
Royal Life Saving Australia, in one way or another, has been committed to swimming and water safety education since it was formed in Australia in 1894. We have championed access to swimming and water safety education for all Australians.
Our national research program has identified the children, young people and communities most likely to miss out on swimming lessons, and has built the evidence base that links swimming skills, water safety education and drowning risk across Australia. This body of work underpins policies, funding decisions and programs that have helped generations of Australian children gain the skills and confidence to enjoy the water safely – in public pools, at the beach and in inland waterways.
Drowning remains a significant cause of accidental death in Australia, particularly among children and young people. Barriers such as cost, transport, limited pool access, cultural and linguistic diversity, disability, and competing curriculum pressures all contribute to children missing out on essential swimming and water safety education.
Royal Life Saving Australia’s research and advocacy shine a light on these barriers and support governments, education systems, industry and community partners to design practical solutions – from targeted funding and curriculum reform, to innovative delivery models in regional, remote and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
National Swimming and Water Safety Framework
The National Swimming and Water Safety Framework developed by Royal Life Saving Australia and endorsed by swimming, lifesaving, governments and industry groups sets out clear, age-based benchmarks for the skills every Australian child should achieve to be safer in, on and around water. It provides a nationally consistent roadmap for schools, swim schools and governments to plan, deliver and measure swimming and water safety education, ensuring children most at risk of missing out are identified and supported.
The Framework is complemented by Royal Life Saving Australia’s 6 Lane Plan to Close the Swimming Skills Gap, which outlines practical actions for governments, schools, industry and communities to improve access and participation, particularly for children and communities currently missing out.
National Swimming and Water Safety Education Symposiums & Roundtables
Royal Life Saving Australia has convened a series of national swimming and water safety education symposia and roundtables dedicated to resolving the issue of children missing out on swimming and water safety education.
These national forums bring together experts from government, water safety organisations, learn to swim and swim school operators, peak bodies and academia, including: all state and territory education departments; Royal Life Saving Australia and State and Territory Member Organisations; Surf Life Saving Australia; Swimming Australia; AUSTSWIM; Swim Coaches and Teachers Australia (SCTA); Belgravia Leisure; YMCA (the Y); BlueFit; Carlisle Swimming; City Venue Management; Aligned Leisure; the Australian Swim Schools Association (ASSA); Kids Alive Do the Five; multicultural and inclusion advocates; and many more.
Through these symposia and roundtables, partners have:
- Mapped the system dynamics of swimming and water safety education in Australia
- Identified which children and communities are missing out on swimming lessons and why
- Shared research, data, policy responses and programme models
- Built consensus on national priorities, benchmarks and policy directions.
Together, these events have helped unify the agenda on school swimming, swim lessons and swimming and water safety skills, and have set a clear strategy and direction of travel for policy makers, community partners and industry.
Symposium reports
Read more / learn more about our symposia below:
Swimming and Water Safety Research
Our swimming and water safety research reports provide the national evidence base on who is missing out on swimming lessons and swimming and water safety education, why gaps occur, and which approaches are most effective in closing them.
Together, these resources provide an authoritative national view of:
- Swimming and water safety skills among Australian children, young people and adults
- How swimming skills, exposure and other factors relate to drowning risk
- What works to improve participation in learn to swim programmes and school-based swimming and water safety education.
They translate data into clear insights that inform research, policy, benchmarks, funding decisions and programme design across schools, swim schools, government and industry.
Swimming and Water Safety Research Reports
Help us ensure no one misses out
Researchers, journalists, policy makers and program designers who wish to explore and make an impact on swimming and water safety education in Australia are encouraged to partner with Royal Life Saving. Our authoritative systems and capabilities – including the National Swimming and Water Safety Framework, the 6 Lane Plan to Close the Swimming Skills Gap and long-standing national datasets on swimming skills and drowning risk and aquatic infrastructure – provide a robust platform for collaborative research, evaluation and policy development.
