The South East Queensland Water Safety Strategy 2023 – 2027 was released yesterday by Royal Life Saving – Australia.

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This Strategy was developed from a Forum in 15 – 16 May 2023, which saw more than 120 delegates from over 45 organisations meet together to develop a collective water safety strategy for the South East Queensland region. The forum, co-hosted by Royal Life Saving Society – Queensland and City of Gold Coast, came about as a result of Royal Life Saving research, which found that 366 people had drowned in the region in the last 10 years, making the region a drowning blackspot region.

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It was found that 30% of drownings occurred in a river or creek, 33% while swimming or recreating, and 30% at the Gold Coast. A Strategic Framework has been proposed following a review of available drowning data, media reports, the lived-experiences of the individuals, groups and agencies represented at the engagement forum. These accounts reflect where the burden of drowning is highest, where the issues are most preventable and whether the local issues are sufficiently defined and understood so that actions can be targeted.