Labor promises funding, equipment for surf life saving clubs across South Australia ahead of March election

DRONES and buoys to detect sharks at popular beaches and mobile patrol units for regional hot spots are among promises made by Labor to surf lifesaving clubs across the state.

DRONES and buoys to detect sharks at popular beaches and mobile patrol units for regional hot spots are among promises made by Labor to surf lifesaving clubs across the state.

If re-elected on March 17, the State Government would also put an extra $200,000 a year towards children’s swimming lessons and give $5000 a year to each of the state’s 21 surf lifesaving clubs to buy new equipment.

Emergency Services Minister Chris Picton made the pledge at busy Henley Beach on Saturday morning, where the surf club has recently been rebuilt.

He said Labor would spend $200,000 to trial new shark detection and deterrence technologies, including drones, buoys and personally worn devices, to protect swimmers.

“We’ve seen in recent years the development of these expert shark drones and how specialised they are at being able to detect sharks and the difference between sharks and dolphins,” Mr Picton said.

The Liberal Opposition pledged $200,000 in November last year to equip surf life saving clubs with drones to help members spot stranded swimmers, sharks and rips in the water.

Emergency Services Minister Chris Picton and Labor candidate for Colton Angela Vaughan at Henley Beach Surf Life Saving Club. Photo: Tait Schmaal.

Liberal Leader Steven Marshall said members at the four surf clubs inside the 5.5 km exclusion zone around the Adelaide Airport would need extra training to meet air safety requirements to operate the drones.

Mr Picton said the Labor scheme would be run centrally, by accredited drone pilots, instead of “just dishing them (drones) out without the proper training ... and in areas where people can’t use them because of the regulations”.

“Using that as a central service ... is going to be a lot more effective and a lot safer for people,” he said.

The Labor policy also features four mobile patrol units, which could be deployed to beaches which are not covered by a surf life saving club.

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“It might be a beach like Middleton. We could send a patrol there and keep people safe in the busy summer, Christmas and New Year periods when lots of beachgoers are heading out to enjoy those areas,” Mr Picton said.

About $200,000 would be spent to enable more children to take part in swimming lessons through VacSwim programs.

“We’ve got some really young children who are involved in programs to start their beach education early,” Mr Picton said.

“We need to increase our targeting of people from multiculturally diverse groups and make sure that we’re connecting kids from migrant families into those programs too.”

There have been four drownings in South Australian waters so far this financial year, including Indian student Nitisha Negi, 15, and Eliase Nimbona, 15, from Burundi, who both drowned in separate incidents at Glenelg beach.

On average, about nine South Australians die by drowning each year.