Australia’s National Drowning Report 2025 has revealed an alarming 27 per cent rise in drowning deaths against the 10-year average, with 357 lives lost in the past year. The report from Royal Life Saving Australia and Surf Life Saving Australia places a significant focus on water safety within multicultural communities.
This issue resonates strongly with community leader Harpreet Kandra, a Senior Lecturer at Federation University and community volunteer, who attended the report’s launch in Canberra today. The findings validate the critical need for the engagement and education programs he advocates for.
“The report confirms what we in multicultural communities have known for some time: there is a dangerous gap in water safety knowledge and skills,” Kandra said after the report’s launch. “We are a nation of migrants, drawn to Australia’s beautiful beaches and waterways, but we often come from countries where swimming isn’t a core part of the culture. This can have tragic consequences.”
The statistics paint a concerning picture. Australia recorded 357 drowning deaths last year—27 per cent above the 10-year average and highlighting a growing water safety crisis. Children under five fared better, with 15 deaths, half of which occurred in home pools, while drowning rates surged for 15–24-year-olds and older adults, who made up a third of fatalities.
Coastal locations claimed 43 per cent of lives, inland waterways 34 per cent, and people in disadvantaged, regional, and remote areas faced double to triple the risk of city residents. More than a third of drowning victims were born overseas, and most states saw rising deaths, particularly South Australia, Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria.
Drowning deaths increased in South Australia (24, +71%), Queensland (90, +36%), Western Australia (49, +36%), New South Wales (129, +30%), and Victoria (52, +8%).
Royal Life Saving Australia CEO Dr Justin Scarr said, “This is a wake-up call. Drowning deaths have surged to unprecedented levels.”
Royal Life Saving Australia and Surf Life Saving Australia attribute the surge in drowning to several factors: more people venturing into national parks and regional waterways, lifestyle and climate changes increasing time spent around water, and swimming skills at crisis levels particularly among children, regional, remote, and migrant communities.
An ageing population with reduced mobility and health challenges, and disadvantaged or multicultural populations with limited access to swimming lessons and safe facilities, are also contributing.
The report identifies people from multicultural backgrounds as a priority population in the Australian Water Safety Strategy 2030, a recognition of the stark overrepresentation of overseas-born individuals in drowning statistics.
The Officer Gurudwara’s efforts, which Kandra spearheads, align closely with recommendations in the National Drowning Report, which highlights that swimming skills are at crisis levels in regional, remote, and migrant communities.
Over the past few years, Kandra has spearheaded swimming lessons, water safety awareness sessions, and community advocacy campaigns aimed at migrants and seniors, often partnering with Lifesaving Victoria and local councils. The programs focus on culturally tailored engagement, helping newcomers overcome language barriers and access safe swimming facilities.
The report’s launch, attended by Federal Minister for Communications and Sport, the Hon Anika Wells MP, calls for nationwide vigilance and simple precautions. “With some simple steps, we can all enjoy the water safely,” Wells said, urging supervision of children, swimming lessons, lifesaving skills, lifejacket use, and swimming between the red and yellow flags.
Dr Scarr highlights a crisis in swimming proficiency, noting that “half of all children leave primary school unable to swim 50 metres,” a problem worse in regional, remote, and migrant communities.
Surf Life Saving Australia CEO Adam Weir adds that coastal drowning remains a major concern, with beaches, oceans, and rocks accounting for 43 per cent of drowning deaths.
The federal government has committed over $34 million to sport safety and drowning prevention.
But top-down messages need on-the-ground champions.
“This is a shared responsibility,” Kandra says. “Our places of worship and community organisations are committed to being part of the solution. We are spreading the word that in Australia, water safety is not just a skill—it is an essential part of settling in and keeping your family safe.”
As Australia heads into a forecast warmer and wetter summer, the collaboration between lifesaving agencies and multicultural communities represents a vital lifeline in the mission to prevent further tragedy.
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