Victorian families are being encouraged to book early for low-cost swimming lessons, as the Allan Labor Government expands access to the VICSWIM Summer Kidz program ahead of the warmer months.
Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence announced that bookings have opened for the January program, which has been teaching water safety and basic swimming skills to children aged four to twelve since 1976. Operated by Aquatics and Recreation Victoria, VICSWIM offers five 30-minute lessons across a week for $43—a subsidised rate aimed at easing cost-of-living pressures while improving safety.
Thousands of children are expected to take part at pools, beaches and inland water venues across the state. The program’s long history has made it a fixture of summer for Victorian families, and organisers say it continues to save lives by ensuring more children gain confidence in and around water.
Minister Spence said the program’s accessibility was key to its success. “A big part of summer holidays in Victoria involves fun by the water. This program helps families by reducing the cost of lessons, which helps kids from all backgrounds be prepared and confident in and out of the water,” she said. “The importance of water safety and swimming skills cannot be overstated, that’s why these lessons are so important.”
Aquatics and Recreation Victoria CEO Kathy Parton said this year marks the program’s 50th anniversary. “VICSWIM has become a key part of the social fabric of Victoria’s summer. At a time of increased drownings and cost of living pressures, VICSWIM offers a low cost Learn to Swim/water safety education program for children aged 4 to 12 years, in pools and beaches across Victoria.”
The announcement follows renewed public concern about water safety after two tragic drowning incidents in Victoria earlier this month—a mother and child at Dandenong Creek on 10 November and an eight-year-old boy in a swimming pool at Kialla on 9 November.
Life Saving Victoria’s most recent drowning report, released in March 2025, showed drownings among multicultural communities had reached a record high of 21 fatalities in 2023–24, with children and young adults among those most at risk.
With summer approaching, authorities are urging parents to take advantage of affordable swimming programs like VICSWIM to equip children with vital life skills and reduce the risk of future tragedies.
Bookings and venue details are available at vicswim.com.au
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