One-third of the Australian population live in regional and remote communities, outside the major cities. Regional and remote communities pose unique challenges for water safety drowning prevention.
Regional and remote areas can be often have limited program availability, lifesaving services, mobile phone service and emergency response times are longer.
But we know that communities in regional and remote areas often undertake more activities around water close to home, and there are a few simple safety tips to help keep communities and families safer around water.
While it is not always feasible to fence off large water bodies, there are some simple measures that can make the environment as safe as possible. Ensure children are actively supervised and create child safe play areas to restrict access to water, especially on rural properties. Child safe play areas restrict a child’s access to water by creating a barrier between the child and a drowning hazard.
Around the home and on regional and rural properties, fill in any unused holes where water can gather such as ditches, dips and postholes. Cover any water storage locations such as wells, troughs and tanks.
When swimming, boating, kayaking, fishing at river, lakes or dams, always go with a friend or group. Some locations can be very remote and isolated with limited or no mobile phone reception, so it is very important to let someone know of your location in case of an emergency. Also knowing first aid and CPR skills is important when emergency service response times can be longer.
Risk factors
- Geographical remoteness
- Unrestricted access to natural waterways, especially for children
- Increased emergency response times
- Increased accessibility to water bodies on properties
- Limited mobile phone service
- Alcohol consumption
How to stay safe
- Actively supervise children around water
- Create a child safe play area
- Cover water storage (eg, buckets, tanks, wells, troughs)
- Tell someone where you are going and when you will be back
- Go with a friend
- Avoid alcohol and drugs around water
- Wear a lifejacket
references and further information
Analysis of unintentional drowning in Australia 2002-2022
A 10-year national review of lake, dam and lagoon drowning deaths: 2008/2009 to 2017/2018
Inland Waterways Key Issues 2019
Developing drowning prevention strategies for rivers through the use of a modified Delphi process
Preventing river drowning deaths: Lessons from coronial recommendations
Building the evidence base for river drowning prevention: the Australian experience
