Little girl tragically drowns in Darwin rural area pool
A TODDLER has tragically drowned in her family’s backyard swimming pool in the Darwin rural area
Northern Territory
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A TODDLER has tragically drowned in her family’s backyard swimming pool in the Darwin rural area.
Police were called to the rural property at 6.45pm Thursday after the girl was found by family unconscious in the swimming pool.
Despite the effort of family members and emergency service staff, attempts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful.
A police spokesman said the family was at home during the incident and no guests were at the home.
A St John Ambulance spokeswoman said paramedics were called to the home to help attempt to resuscitate her.
“St John NT responded to a triple-0 (000) call from the family of the child and provided resuscitation assistance over the phone while the crew was dispatched to the incident,” she said.
“Our closest crew from Humpty Doo, an intensive care paramedic and duty manager attended the scene.”
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
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In July last year, a boy, 2, drowned in a backyard pool in Katherine.
There have been a number of drownings in the Darwin rural area in recent years, prompting calls for pool fencing to be compulsory on all properties.
Currently pool fencing is only required on properties smaller than 1.8ha in size.
In January Chief Minister Michael Gunner defended his Government’s decision to leave the Territory’s pool fencing laws as is, ignoring Royal Life Saving NT pleas to implement the laws on rural properties 1.8 ha or larger.
Mr Gunner said a recent public consultation process convinced the NT Government making people on larger rural properties with pools or spas install pool fences was not necessary.
“It was essentially taking a commonsense look at what was occurring and when we looked at the tragic deaths involved with drownings it was not happening in those locations exempt from the Act,” Mr Gunner said at the time.
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“We need to be very careful around making decisions around what the evidence presented and what the Territorians who responded to the consultation were also seeking, so the review found the majority of Territorians believed laws were common sense and practical and obviously the evidence showed that where our laws were in place was making the biggest difference.
“So it was a practical look at how the laws were working.”
Originally published as Little girl tragically drowns in Darwin rural area pool