A Local Water Safety Plan is recommended to outline existing and future community-based drowning prevention strategies tailored to individual community contexts.

Australia has many beautiful inland waterways including rivers, creeks, streams, lakes, dams, lagoons and channels; however, they can pose safety risks, and these can vary depending on the type of waterway. Royal Life Saving research reveals that 1,145 people have died from drowning in Australian rivers, creeks and streams in the fifteen years between 1 July 2004 and 30 June 2019. A further estimated 550 people were hospitalised for a non-fatal drowning incident, many with a permanent disability.