Local federal MPs Ted O’Brien and Andrew Wallace have met with swimming sensation Laurie Lawrence to promote water safety for under fives.
“Living on the Sunshine Coast and with the summer holidays upon us it’s a timely reminder to put Laurie’s water safety rules into action,” Mr Wallace said.
Kids Alive Do The Five reminds parents to fence the pool, shut the gate, teach their kids to swim – it’s great, supervise and learn how to resuscitate.
“That last one really stuck a chord for me when I found out one of my own electorate staffers nearly drowned as a 23 month old,” Mr O’Brien said.
“I work with Simon every day, he’s now 27, but on Australia Day 1991 at a family BBQ he fell into a backyard jacuzzi trying to reach a ball.
“His father found him a couple of minutes later and started CPR, saving his life.
“In those days of course there weren’t regulations to fence pools and spas but it goes to show how vital these water safety messages are and how lives can and will continue to be saved if we follow them,” Mr O’Brien said.
Over the next couple of weeks water safety packs for toddlers including songs, videos and books will be distributed by Australia Post to over 50,000 pre-schools, early learning centres and play groups around the country.
The Turnbull Coalition Government is currently contributing around $11 million a year to organisations such as Laurie Lawrence Swimming enterprises, the Royal Life Saving Society Australia, Surf Life Saving Australia and AUSTSWIM to keep Australians and visitors safe at our beaches, pools, lakes, rivers and dams.
“This is such a valuable investment in our children’s lives,” Mr Wallace said.
“In fact, the 2016 Drowning Report released by the Royal Life Saving Society of Australia shows that in the past year drownings in children under 5 years old had a 30 per cent reduction below the 10 year average.”