Our children safe as result of campaign
THOUSANDS of Queensland schoolkids are now safer in the water with free access to vital swim lessons, a year on from a campaign run by the Townsville Bulletin and 45 other News Queensland publications
Following the Save Our Schoolkids (SOS) campaign, sparked by warnings from experts about a generation of Queensland kids lacking crucial life-saving swimming skills, a nation-leading program was announced by the State Government.
This term schoolkids will embrace the warm weather by making the most of free swimming lessons across Queensland state primary schools, some for the first time.
Education Minister Grace Grace said the Government was delivering on its commitment that all Queensland state primary schools would offer water safety and/or learn to swim programs with a $3.7 million annual funding commitment – an increase of $2.18 million a year.
“With the weather starting to warm up as we approach summer, many families across the state are returning to the pool both for exercise and recreation,” Ms Grace said.
“And with the fourth term of the school year kicking off this week, students at many schools across Queensland will be returning to the pool as part of water safety and/or learn to swim programs.”
Within days of the January 2018 campaign launch, which pushed for kids to have compulsory and comprehensive swimming and water safety lessons at school, Ms Grace ordered a series of roundtable meetings between key groups including Surf Life Saving Queensland, Royal Lifesaving, AUSTSWIM, P&CS Qld and government representatives.
Olympians and swimming legends passionately backed the campaign, including Laurie Lawrence, Cat and Bronte Campbell, and Libby Trickett, with a Galaxy poll finding 80 per cent of Queenslanders were in favour of primary school kids receiving swimming lessons.
In August 2018 the State Government announced the new program to help make Queensland the “Water Safe State”.
Ms Grace said swimming and water sports were “an integral part of Queensland life”, and it was crucial that children were safe in and around water.