WA TAB helps Royal Life Saving WA save lives
15 November, 2016
Royal Life Saving WA (RLSSWA) has released its Annual Report for 2015/16 announcing the astounding improvement their Water Safety Strategy has made to the WA Community, which the WA TAB has been providing funding to for many years.
The WA TAB has invested $165,000 each year over the past three years to RLSSWA for the Australian Royal Life Saving Water Safety Strategy to be implemented in WA, aligning with the Australian strategy outcomes.
The RLSSWA 2015/16 Annual Report shows incredible improvements in education for target groups, general training and upskilling throughout the State and decrease in deaths by drowning.
Statistics from the 2015/16 Annual Report include:
- 20.5% decrease in WA drowning deaths.
- 218,585 people learned water safety, swimming and lifesaving skills.
- 20,599 children participated in the infant aquatics program.
- 1,656 people participated in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse programs.
- 0 people in the age group of 5-14 drowned.
The program started in 1999 after a 5 year trend analysis recognised there were 50 drowning’s causing death each year in WA.
Since the strategy has been implemented, the drowning rate per year has decreased rapidly.
This decrease has not only saved lives but has helped reduce economic impact as each drowning costs the WA community $1.5million.
The funding from the WA TAB goes specifically towards programs to help high risk groups in WA such as toddlers, young men, seniors, boating accidents and rock fishing, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse and Indigenous.
The benefits of the program are far-reaching throughout metropolitan and regional WA allowing RLSSWA to provide various programs and specific training and education to these at risk groups.
In 2016/17 $354,000 will go to Royal Life Saving WA from the WA TAB to help RLSSWA continue to strive for the target of zero deaths by drowning in each age group.