Members statements
Victorian Blue Ocean Safety Skills Centre
Richard RIORDAN (Polwarth) (09:42): I wish to bring to the house’s attention this morning the heroic efforts on the weekend of a passer-by at Marengo near Apollo Bay who came to the rescue of three stranded swimmers. Unfortunately, one of those swimmers did not make it and became the 27th casualty of a drowning this summer season. I draw the house’s attention to the fact that the Apollo Bay community and Apollo Bay surf club have now been lobbying very, very hard to this state government since 2020 for the VBOSS, the Victorian blue ocean swim school in Apollo Bay. The purpose of this swimming school is to help spread understanding and knowledge of safety in our ocean swimming. Increasingly, multicultural communities are over-represented in drowning deaths in Victorian waters, and more needs to be done to support knowledge of the dangers of swimming outside of patrolled beaches and swimming pool areas and in our rivers, our lakes and our oceans. The Victorian blue ocean swim school would provide that service, and I urge this government to consider it in this year’s upcoming budget for a much-needed funding boost.