Western Sydney
The Problem
Over the last 10 years in Western Sydney:
- 196 people have drowned
- 57% were born overseas
- 21% drowned in a river or creek
- 20% while swimming or recreating
Western Sydney is surrounded by many natural waterways where people go for leisure and aquatic activities, such as the Cooks River, Georges River, Parramatta River, Lake Parramatta, and Prospect Reservoir. In addition, there are 73 public pools in these LGA’s, including local council owned community aquatic centers, private swim schools, school pools.
Drowning Prevention Plan
Following research into drowning in the area, Royal Life Saving New South Wales brought together more than 60 representatives from the NSW Government, local councils, police and community groups together in a workshop aimed at reducing the number of drownings in Western Sydney.
The aim of the workshop is to develop a contextualised drowning prevention plan for the region. While the plan is still under development, it is anticipated to be completed some time in 2022.
You can learn more about this on the Royal Life Saving New South Wales website.
