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| Lennox Head IMAGE: Amy Fallon The Guardian, 21.01.20 |
In the twelve months between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024 there were 323 drownings across Australia.
Last summer, 134 lives were lost, averaging at least one drowning per day. Older adults were particularly at risk, being 39% of all deaths, 27% of victims were people born overseas and 10% were children aged 0-14 years. A total of 82% of drownings were male.
Many drowning incidents occurred at unpatrolled or isolated locations, including beaches, rivers, lakes and dams.
All states and territories reported an increase in drowning compared to last summer, except for South Australia and the Northern Territory. [See:https://www.royallifesaving.com.au/research-and-policy/drowning-research/summer-drowning-toll]
ABC News, 22 December 2024:
More people have drowned across Australia in the first three weeks of summer this year than during the same period in 2023, with the current death rate 120 per cent higher than the five-year average, according to Royal Life Saving Australia data.
Australia's leading drowning prevention body has reported 18 drowning deaths since December 1, including six in New South Wales and five in Queensland.
In the first three weeks of December last year, 14 people died drowning in waterways across the country. The five-year average number of deaths since 2019 for the same period is 15 fatalities.....
Justin Scarr, the Royal Life Saving Australia CEO, told ABC News that the end-of-year holiday period and consecutive days of good weather across the country have contributed to the higher fatal drowning numbers....
"The weather has been great and many people are flocking to a range of waterways, including beaches and lakes," he said.
"We're urging people to plan. Preparation is key.
"When you arrive at a holiday location, it is the first couple of days where you are unfamiliar with the location, you don't know where the patrolled areas with lifeguards are, you don't know the time for the lifeguards and potentially you don't know necessarily the swimming ability of the people you are holidaying with.
"We urge them to make smart choices about where they are going picnicking, know the local conditions and if people can't swim, don't go near the water at all."....
Royal Life Saving Australia water safety guidelines at
https://www.royallifesaving.com.au/about/campaigns-and-programs/Water-Safety
