With last Sunday marking National Water Safety Day, City of Gosnells Mayor Terresa Lynes is hoping to raise awareness of the importance of water safety and the need for life-saving facilities in an effort to secure funding for the (SPLASH).
Mayor Lynes believes the community faces heightened water safety concerns, with 44 per cent of residents born overseas in the City of Gosnells, compared to 36 per cent in the greater Perth region.
“The City of Gosnells is one of the most culturally diverse local governments in the greater Perth metropolitan area, and research shows people from multicultural backgrounds are over-represented in drowning deaths in Australia,” Mayor Lynes said.
“Water safety is a serious issue that is often overlooked – and it’s something I want to make a bigger priority this National Water Safety Day.”
According to data from a Royal Life Saving Australia (RLSA) 2024 report, people from multicultural backgrounds are over-represented in drowning deaths in Australia.
Of the 323 fatal drownings across the country between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024, 83 were individuals born overseas.
Between 2013/14 and 2022/23, 34 per cent of all drowning deaths in Australian waterways involved people born overseas, with 933 of the 2,762 fatalities being individuals born abroad.
In response to these alarming figures, Mayor Lynes said that providing access to secure, inclusive facilities where people of all ages and abilities can learn to swim is crucial for the diverse Gosnells community.
“The City of Gosnells has developed a concept design for a state-of-the-art recreation and aquatic complex – the Sutherlands Park Leisure and Aquatic Sports Hub (aka SPLASH) – that will support a growing community,” she said.
“SPLASH will create life-changing and life-saving opportunities for people not only in Perth’s rapidly expanding south-east corridor but for people across Perth and further afield.”
The SPLASH proposal includes an eight-lane outdoor 50m pool, an indoor 25m pool, a 20m learn-to-swim pool, a rehabilitation pool, and much more, with a total cost of $132 million, half of which the City is committed to funding.
Still hoping to secure $16 million from the State Government and $50 million from the Federal Government, and with the population in the City of Gosnells projected to grow from around 137,000 in 2024 to more than 187,000 by 2046, Mayor Lynes emphasised how the facility could potentially save lives.
“This National Water Safety Day, we are calling on the State and Federal Governments to get on board and help fund this project,” Mayor Lynes said.
“Now is the time for our community to get a facility they not only deserve but need.”
For more information on SPLASH or to view or sign the letter of support, visit the City of Gosnells website.
