Background: From 2011 to 2021, drowning caused over 2.5 million preventable deaths, with Asia carrying the highest burden of drowning deaths. India and Vietnam are among the top 10 birth countries of people who drown in Australia. In the Australian Water Safety Strategy 2030, multicultural communities are deemed a priority group for drowning prevention. This study aimed to understand how Asian adults living in Australia develop health literacy in relation to swimming ability and water safety and how these skills are implemented in different aquatic environments.

Methods: Three men and nine women between 20 and 79 years old born in India and Vietnam and living in Victoria, Australia were recruited using convenience and snowball sampling. Semi-structured online interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed using a deductive approach.

Results: Three interrelated themes emerged. First, there were cultural differences in how participants related to aquatic environments in their birth countries compared to Australia and the impact this had on their health literacy. Secondly, family influence on perceptions of aquatic environments determined participants' perception of risk and safety in aquatic environments. The last theme related to the differences in access, affordability and availability of swimming and water safety education and how this impacted participants' swimming ability.

Conclusions: A multisectoral approach is recommended involving councils, key multicultural organisations and community leaders to increase awareness of drowning prevention related health literacy within Asian communities and to implement targeted water safety education and swimming programmes. Targeted education, engagement and co-designing programmes with community leaders are needed to respond to the emerging trend of fatal drowning in Asian communities in Australia. The novelty of this research and the insights obtained from the qualitative approach contribute to the growing body of literature related to drowning prevention in adult migrants in Australia.

Multicultural communities continue to experience disproportionately higher risks of drowning and lower participation in aquatic environments. Barriers such as language, cultural perceptions of water, and limited prior exposure to swimming mean access alone is not enough to support safe and sustained engagement. While access to facilities has improved, many aquatic centres are not yet designed or operated in ways that foster genuine inclusion, cultural safety, and ongoing engagement.

The Culturally Inclusive Centres program has been developed to support aquatic facilities to move beyond access toward meaningful inclusion through a structured, practical approach. Currently in its pilot phase, the program is working with selected sites in WA to test and refine a framework that embeds cultural inclusion across operations, workforce capability, and program delivery.

A key component of the program is direct engagement with multicultural communities to ensure approaches are informed by lived experience. Focus groups are being conducted with Indian, Chinese, Somali and Afghan communities to better understand perspectives on swimming and water safety. These conversations explore what swimming means for individuals and families, challenges when learning to swim, and how public aquatic facilities can become more welcoming and inclusive. Ongoing consultation with a multicultural steering committee further guides program development and decision-making.

Insights from this engagement are informing targeted strategies, alongside initiatives to strengthen staff capability. The program supports workforce development through training and practical guidance, equipping staff to deliver culturally responsive water safety programs. In parallel, centres are supported to review environments, policies, and engagement practices to create welcoming, culturally safe, accessible spaces. Partnerships with community organisations are central, helping build trust and support ongoing participation.

Through its pilot implementation, Culturally Inclusive Centres is building an evidence base for scalable, community-informed approaches that can be embedded across the aquatic sector to improve inclusion and reduce drowning risk.

 
Background: Drowning prevention is a global public health concern identified as a significant, preventable health risk. The migrant and refugee population experience significant health disparities related to aquatic safety and drowning prevention, with high rates of water anxiety and cultural barriers to aquatic safety education. Current prevention strategies do not address the social determinants of health, such as social isolation and limited vocational opportunities, as they relate to migrant and refugee aquatic safety disparities.
 
Research Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of a 20-week community health intervention program aiming to transform "water anxious newcomers" into certified safety leaders for the migrant and refugee population.
 
Methods: The "Community Swim Project" was a 20-week intervention program conducted by Yellow Dove Australia for 29 migrant and refugee students from St. James College. The intervention program was based on the empowerment ecosystem model, combining swimming skills with clinical health training, including First Aid and CPR certification, and instructor vocational training.
 
Key Results: The results of the intervention were a 100% retention rate of the 29 participants. The results also show an impressive 90% success rate in achieving First Aid and CPR qualifications, as well as a 52% attainment rate in achieving advanced teaching qualifications. Moreover, 86% of the participants reported a "very positive" impact on their holistic wellbeing, in addition to 91% of the participants reporting the program as being "highly inclusive."
 
Conclusion: The results of this study show that inclusive, multi-faceted health interventions can bridge the divide in health equity by providing professional opportunities and a sense of belonging. This model provides an opportunity to bridge the divide in health equity by providing a framework for professional opportunities in water-centric environments.

People born overseas are disproportionately represented in Australia’s drowning statistics. The Australian Water Safety Strategy 2030 identifies this cohort as a priority population and highlights the need for culturally responsive approaches to water safety education and engagement.
Between 2010/11 and 2020/21, 33 drowning deaths occurred in the Townsville region, with over half occurring in rivers and creeks. With 14% of the Townsville population identified as being born overseas and 7% speaking a language other than English at home, highlights the importance of accessible, culturally appropriate water safety education.
In response to these findings and community consultation, Royal Life Saving Queensland (RLSSQ) developed a series of multicultural water safety programs aimed at addressing declining water safety skills and improving access for priority communities. Over the past five years, these programs have been delivered in partnership with the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland, Multicultural Queensland and several local councils, including Ipswich, Sunshine Coast, Townsville, and Gold Coast. Key stakeholders have played a critical role in shaping the design and development of culturally relevant programs to help reach thousands of participants directly, and many more through extended family and community networks.
Key lessons from program delivery highlight that community consultation is essential to effective program development. They reinforce the importance of trusted community leaders, in-language delivery, and culturally embedded learning environments to improve engagement, knowledge transfer, and sustained behaviour change. These factors were critical in overcoming linguistic, cultural, and social barriers to participation.
Building on these learnings, program models have evolved to focus on strengthening community capacity by supporting local leaders to become qualified water safety educators. This approach builds long-term instructional capability within migrant communities and provides a scalable, sustainable framework for drowning prevention aligned with the Australian Water Safety Strategy.

Catalytic uplift in safety outcomes across our coastlines requires that we not only establish and strengthen new local partnerships, but that we also expand the geography of those partnerships to match the scale of the challenge.
This presentation builds on the paper abstract submitted to present on the confluence of Victoria's first Cross-Council Water Safety Framework and community leadership from Dr Harpreet Singh Kandra of the Officer Gurdwara, to present future directions to the water safety sector from the perspective of this key innovation partnership. Scaling the successful co-contribution model developed by the Gurdwara, continuing to drive research, risk assessment, messaging and land manager collaboration outcomes via the Framework, and working together to do so provide Harpreet and Nick with a unique perspective on high-impact future directions and how to structure water safety localization efforts to unlock and scale collective impact.
The presentation will build on the previous paper from Harpreet and Nick to provoke insight and discussion regarding high-value future directions for the sector.

Background
Drowning remains a significant public health issue in Australia, with people experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage, cultural and linguistic barriers, and regional isolation less likely to access swimming and water safety education despite elevated risk. Addressing inequities in access and improving capability are key priorities of the Australian Water Safety Strategy (AWSS) 2030, particularly under Swimming and water safety skills for all and Localising water safety efforts.

Program Design and Approach
Project Elevate is a targeted, subsidised intervention delivered by Royal Life Saving NSW and funded through the NSW Government’s Learn to Swim for At-Risk Communities program. The program delivers 10 structured lessons aligned to the National Swimming and Water Safety Framework across four priority cohorts: regional children, primary school students, high school students, and adults from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Delivery is tailored to address financial, geographic, and cultural barriers while strengthening local workforce capability through instructor upskilling.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned
Midpoint evaluation demonstrates measurable improvements in participant swimming competency and high levels of satisfaction. Significant baseline skill gaps were identified among adolescents and adults with limited prior exposure, reinforcing the need for targeted interventions. Key lessons include the importance of subsidised access, culturally appropriate delivery, and community-based program models to increase participation and retention.

Conclusion and Implications
Project Elevate demonstrates a scalable, place-based model that improves capability, reduces inequities, and directly supports AWSS 2030 priorities. The program provides a transferable framework for delivering inclusive water safety education and strengthening regional capacity, with potential to inform future policy, funding models, and national program design.