Bill Shorten pledges $46m for national Swim Smart program

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is set to announce a bold new national water safety scheme that aims to save Aussie children’s lives. READ HOW IT WORKS.

EVERY Australian primary school student will have access to swimming and water safety lessons under a bold $46 million plan to save young lives, to be announced by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten on Sunday.

Regardless of whether they attend a public, Catholic or independent school, live in a region or in a city, children would be able to access lessons, and even catch-up classes for kids needing more support.

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The Swim Smart program, a national water safety scheme which would be introduced under a Shorten Government, would aim to ensure every child could swim 50m, tread water and know how to respond if they fell into water unexpectedly.

The announcement follows The Sunday Mail and The Courier-Mail’s successful Save Our Schoolkids campaign, which highlighted the shocking decline in schoolchildren’s swimming capability.

Federal Opposition leader Bill Shorten and his wife Chloe during their bus tour around Queensland. Picture: Craig Warhurst

The Palaszczuk Government last year announced it would fund lessons for all state primary students to receive lessons in swimming and survival skills.

But access to school-based swimming lessons across the country is inconsistent.

The Swim Smart program will also extend to include independent and Catholic schools.

Rather than pay for individual lessons, it will top up funds for schools.

Mr Shorten said that if he elected, Labor would start the program from 2020 and ensure access to lessons would not depend on where someone lived, what school they attended or if their parents could afford private lessons.

“This is unfair and unsafe. We don’t want children to miss out,” he said.

“We will fund additional swimming lessons for schools that need it, catch-up lessons for kids needing extra support, and more support for the cost of transport and pool entry fees.

“Aussies love swimming, but too many young people are growing up without learning sufficient water safety skills to keep them safe.”

The federal funds would also assist with transport costs to get to pools.