Australia is confronting an alarming water safety crisis as new research reveals that nearly half of all 12-year-old students lack fundamental swimming abilities that could save their lives. The findings paint a troubling picture of declining aquatic competency across the nation, with teachers reporting that 48% of Year 6 students cannot perform basic survival skills, including swimming 50 metres continuously or treading water for two minutes.
This deterioration in swimming proficiency comes at a particularly concerning time, as Australia recorded 104 drowning deaths during the 2024-25 summer season—a 5% increase from the previous year, with inadequate swimming skills identified as a major contributing factor. The crisis extends beyond primary education, with little improvement observed as students progress through secondary school, raising serious questions about the nation’s approach to water safety education and its long-term consequences for public health.
Educational System Struggles to Address Skills Gap
The research conducted by Royal Life Saving Australia exposes significant weaknesses in the country’s swimming education framework, with teachers estimating that 39% of Year 10 students still cannot meet the basic benchmarks established for 12-year-olds. Even more concerning is the finding that 84% of students aged 15-16 are unable to swim 400 metres and tread water for five minutes—skills considered essential for lifesaving and the benchmark for 17-year-olds.
Schools across the nation are struggling to provide adequate swimming instruction, with 31% of educational institutions offering no learn-to-swim programs whatsoever. The barriers preventing schools from delivering these potentially life-saving programs include mounting costs, chronic staffing shortages, and increasingly tight time constraints within crowded curricula. The situation has become so dire that one in four schools no longer conduct swimming carnivals, and among those that do, only half of eligible students participate.
Economic Barriers Create Dangerous Inequities
Financial constraints represent one of the most significant obstacles to swimming education, with the high cost of private lessons effectively excluding many families from accessing quality instruction. Dr Justin Scarr, Chief Executive of Royal Life Saving Australia, emphasizes that lesson costs are “simply too expensive for many people, particularly those living in outer metropolitan areas and in regional towns”. This economic divide creates a troubling disparity where children from wealthier suburbs and private schools are far more likely to receive comprehensive swimming and water safety education compared to their peers in less economically advantaged areas.
The financial burden is compounded by the tendency for parents to enroll children at a young age but withdraw them prematurely due to cost considerations. Research indicates that many children cease swimming lessons between the ages of seven and nine, well before developing the complex skill set necessary for water safety. Perhaps most alarmingly, one in ten children aged five to fourteen has never attended a swimming lesson at all.
COVID-19 Pandemic Amplifies Existing Problems
The coronavirus pandemic has significantly exacerbated Australia’s swimming skills crisis, with pool closures and lesson cancellations creating lasting impacts on children’s aquatic education. An estimated 12 million swimming lessons were missed during lockdown periods, affecting approximately 162,500 children who would normally receive weekly instruction. The disruption has contributed to what experts describe as a potential “generational decline” in swimming abilities, with long-term consequences for drowning prevention efforts.
The pandemic also created persistent challenges, including swim teacher shortages and extended waiting lists for lessons, making it even more difficult for families to access quality swimming instruction once restrictions were lifted.
Urgent Call for Comprehensive Reform
Water safety experts are advocating for immediate and substantial intervention to address this crisis. Royal Life Saving Australia has proposed a four-pronged approach focusing on increased funding for existing school and vacation programs, targeted grants for vulnerable populations, improved access to lifesaving education, and addressing critical infrastructure gaps through the construction and renovation of public swimming facilities.
Dr Amy Peden, a drowning prevention specialist at the University of New South Wales, describes the current situation as “very concerning from a drowning prevention point of view,” noting that these basic skills represent minimum safety requirements rather than advanced competencies. The research findings are particularly troubling given that drowning rates increase dramatically—by tenfold—between ages 10 and 20, precisely when many young people are transitioning from childhood supervision to independent water activities.
The Victorian government has responded with significant investment, allocating $73.3 million over four years for swimming and water safety education, building on $131.6 million already invested since 2017. However, experts argue that coordinated national action is essential to prevent Australia from becoming what Scarr describes as a “nation of waders” unable to navigate water emergencies safely.