Royal Life Saving Society Australia (RLSSA)

Royal Life Saving Australia, opens in a new tab is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the prevention of drowning and advocacy for water safety; including education, training, risk management, and research.

The organisation provides a range of key resources, research, opens in a new tab, guidelines, opens in a new tab, campaigns and programs, opens in a new tab on their website with a strong focus on best practice and staying safe and active, opens in a new tab in the water.

National Swimming and Water Safety Framework (2019)

The National Swimming and Water Safety Framework, opens in a new tab (2019) aims to enable individuals to develop the skills, knowledge, understanding, attitudes and behaviours required to lead safe and active lives in, on and around a range of aquatic environments. The following six key principles underpin the Framework:

1. Everyone should have the opportunity to a swimming and water safety education.
2. Entry and progression may occur at different stages and rates through the Framework.
3. The Framework is adaptable to support achievement.
4. Structured programs are essential; however, aquatic play and recreation are also important.
5. Learning should transition skills and knowledge to a range of aquatic environments and water-based activities.
6. The language of the Framework aims to be accessible to all facilitators, educators and parents.

National Drowning Reports

Since 1995, Royal Life Saving has produced an annual National Drowning Report. The reports look at the factors that contribute to drowning deaths in Australia by examining who, where, when, and how people have drowned over the previous 12 months.

National Drowning Report 2025, opens in a new tab

The current report states that 357 people drowned in Australian waterways during the 2024-2025 financial year. This figure represents a 27% increase to the 10-year average.

Key findings in the report include:

• The fatal drowning rate per 100,000 people was 1.31 in 2024/25: a 17% increase on the 10-year average (1/12).
• 81% of all drowning deaths were male.
• People residing in the most disadvantaged areas drowned at a rate 2.2x higher than people who resided in the most advantaged areas.
• Three main factors are suspected in the increase in drowning deaths:
  • Exposure to water is evolving - more people looking for less crowded places to swim and recreate; changes in work/leisure and weather patterns are potentially extending the times when people are around water; and diverse populations.
  • Decline in swimming skills - various pressures, at home and in schools, are leading to many children and young people not learning effective abilities to survive and thrive when in the water.
  • Vulnerable older Australians - one in three drowning deaths were people over 65 years of age. An active, aging population, who may underestimate the risks or their own skills, with factors such as reduced strength and mobility, medical conditions, and medications, as well as unexpected falls and swimming alone impacting risks of drowning for this population.

Access to previous reports is also available on the RLSSA website, opens in a new tab.

Non-fatal drowning

Non-fatal drowning, opens in a new tab describes a drowning incident where the individual survives.

While some non-fatal drowning incidents do not lead to serious health complications, others can lead to significant long-term health and quality of life impacts. This can include mild to severe damage to an individuals' brain (hypoxic brain injury due to lack of oxygen), or other organs.

Those at highest risk of non-fatal drowning are children aged 0 to 4 years. Swimming pools are the most frequently recorded location of non-fatal drowning incidents, especially for young children. However, from teenage years, individuals are more likely to experience difficulty at beaches, rivers, and lakes.

Royal Life Saving has committed to strengthening non-fatal data collection to help better investigate the long-term health, social, and economic impacts and trends to support the development of targeted drowning prevention campaigns.

Research and resources relating to non-fatal drowning:

Non-Fatal Drowning in Australia, Part 1: Non-fatal drowning trends over time,, opens in a new tab Mahony, A, Pidgeon, S., Royal Life Saving Society Australia, (2021). This study examines hospitalisations in Australia over a 15-year period, revealing trends in sex, age, location, remoteness classification and activity. Some key findings include:

• 3 non-fatal drowning incidents occurred for every 1 fatal drowning.
• The incidence of non-fatal drowning rose between 2002/03 and 2016/17, with hospitalisations increasing by 50%. By comparison, fatal drowning decreased over this time.
• 8 non-fatal drowning incidents occurred for every 1 fatal drowning among children aged 0-4 years.
• 42% of non-fatal drowning incidents involved children aged 0-4 years. Adults aged 55 years and over accounted for the smallest proportion of incidents (11%).
• Over the 15 years of the study, males accounted for 66% of all non-fatal drowning cases.
• Swimming pools were the leading location for non-fatal drowning (35%), followed by natural water (26%). The location of non-fatal drowning was classified as ‘other or unspecified’ in 32% of cases.
• Almost two thirds of non-fatal drowning incidents occurred in major cities (65%). Information on remoteness was not available in 5% of cases

Non-Fatal Drowning in Australia, Part 2: Impact of non-fatal drowning,, opens in a new tab Mahony, A, Pidgeon, S., Royal Life Saving Society Australia, (2021). In addition to hospitalisation figures in Australia over a 15-year period, this study examines the mean length of hospital stay, number of patient days, time in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the number of hours of Continuous Ventilatory Support (CVS) received over a 4- or 5-year period.

A 13-year national study of non-fatal drowning in Australia: Data challenges, hidden impacts and social costs,, opens in a new tab Royal Life Saving Society Australia, (2017)

Reducing the burden of non-fatal drowning: Symposium Declaration,, opens in a new tab Australian Water Safety Council, (2017)

Understanding the Full Burden of Drowning: A Retrospective, Cross-Sectional Analysis of Fatal and Non-Fatal Drowning in Australia,, opens in a new tab Amy Peden, Alison Mahony, Paul Barnsley, et al., BMJ Open, Volume 8(11), (2018).

Keep Watch Campaign,, opens in a new tab Royal Life Saving Australia, (accessed 22 August 2025). When implemented together, drowning prevention actions – Supervise, Restrict, Teach, Respond – help to maximise child safety around water.

Samuel Morris Foundation., opens in a new tab Established in March 2007, this was Australia’s first charity providing support services to children disabled by non-fatal drowning (or other hypoxic brain injuries), supporting their families, and helping to prevent future drowning deaths and disabilities through education and awareness.