Royal Lifesaving Drowning Report 2021 found that drownings in Australia increased by 20 per cent over the last 12 months to June 2021. With 50% of Australia’s beaches drownings being of people born overseas, this report confirmed our worst fears around poor swimming skills in our refugee communities, especially the African and Muslim communities in NSW.

Since 2019, Women’s Welfare Australia has actively tried to organise swimming classes for refugee women and youth – without success even to start. Parents share the same anxiety around their own and their child’s safety in pools, fresh and saltwater, that thousands have expressed.

However, regardless of previous Covid disruptions – arranging accessible swimming lessons for refugee Africans with any local pool or surf training remains unacceptably frustrating.

Contacting local aquatic centres, Surf Life Saving NSW, local Councils, local government staff and numerous other services for swim safety workshops and swimming lessons resulted in no ongoing program for swim training in the community.

As they competed against longer-established and well-funded organisations to book local pools and swimming instructors or gain funding, they had nowhere to turn – their efforts were exhausted, and the community’s needs were still being ignored.

Until May 2023, when the local swimming centre finally opened up to the dire need for these communities – resulting in 10 weeks of youth swimming lessons being provided. These lessons were paid for partly by Active Kids Vouchers.

The improvement of these children’s swimming skills has increased immensely. Many of whom were scared to step foot in the pool – now confidently enter the pool guarded with their new knowledge of floating and the basics of swimming.

Unfortunately, with the Labor Party now reducing the value of the Active Kids Vouchers and the lack of funding given to new community organisations, learning to swim adequately is becoming impossible for these families.

The barriers continue to isolate our communities from fully immersing themselves and being a part of Australian culture and society.

Many Australian families of all backgrounds are looking to head to the beach, river and swimming pool in the next holiday season. However, our refugee parents and youth must weigh the risks before enjoying this right.

Being able to swim should not be a privilege. Parents of refugee backgrounds shouldn’t fear their children will be unable to save their children.

They shouldn’t think their children will be another statistic. Our children shouldn’t fear being around water, either. As a country surrounded by water, it is only fair that its citizens learn to swim.

Why are they still waiting? Why are they not receiving help? How many more drownings before adequate funding and programs are implemented?

We’ve lost too many people to drownings. We need all the help to teach these communities to swim.