00:00It's been a really tragic year, just coming off the back of the National Drowning Report
00:06as well.
00:07Coastal drowning deaths really comprised almost half of the national drowning burden.
00:13Every incident we record along the coast actually happened outside of the red and yellow flags
00:18and unpatrolled times, mainly at unpatrolled locations.
00:24Animals are probably the highest risk group with their drowning risk almost seven times
00:30more likely than females.
00:33And also high periods of risk, particularly holiday periods, we saw the drowning risk
00:37triple.
00:38But as you mentioned, you know, this emerging demographic of older Australians really taking
00:46out most of the drowning that we've recorded over the last few years, and we're seeing
00:49this trend year on year grow.
00:55This is perhaps not surprising, as we see we do have an ageing population who are pretty
01:00active, you know, which is something we really should celebrate.
01:03However, when people start to leave the workforce or, you know, reduce their workloads, many choose
01:07to travel more and explore our incredible country and coastline, which sadly can also increase
01:12their exposure to risk, including drowning.
01:15Being alone and especially at unpatrolled locations, there's no one there to help you if something
01:20goes wrong.
01:21You know, in Australia, we are so lucky we've got this nationally integrated network of surf
01:27lifesavers and lifeguards all around the country who work day on, day in, day out to try and
01:32keep beachgoers and coastal recreation like and make it as safe as possible.
01:35The rescues have gone slightly down from average with over 8,000 rescues.
01:41However, we've seen an increase in the preventative actions, which means our surf lifesavers and
01:46lifeguards are actually out there preventing incidents occurring before they happen.
01:52These services have been estimated to provide more than $9 billion of value to the community,
01:57and it's really such a valuable source of safety that we have for Australians.
Comments