Surf Life Saving NSW launches multicultural drownings safety campaign

Julia Kiss, Community Education Manager at Surf Life Saving NSW, said the Belrose organisation wanted to connect with ambassadors of Dee Why's Nepalese community, as well as local Indian and Pakistani communities, to share messages about beach and rock fishing safety.

National statistics show 22 per cent of overseas-born resident drownings occur at the beach, and 41 per cent of overseas-born residents are classified as poor swimmers.

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Forty-eight per cent of coastal drownings are people born overseas, and 28 per cent of coastal drownings are people of Asian origin.

Over 90 per cent of coastal drownings are men, and an average of 17 rock-fishing deaths occur every year in Australia.

Surf Life Saving NSW says there are various challenges that our migrant and refugee communities face in safely accessing our coastline. These include language barriers, cultural or religious influences and even trauma and previous experiences in their country of birth, which can all contribute to a greater risk of drowning.

Ms Kiss said the solution was complex, and included tailoring the message to each multicultural community.

"Each community's language and the experience they have in their home country is different, so we connect with community ambassadors and look at how we can engage with their communities," Ms Kiss said.

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"We'd love to give them an experience at the beach, show them what hazards to look out for - as every beach is different - and connect them to their local surf clubs if they're interested to get involved."

Ms Kiss said her organisation could help break down the stigma some multicultural communities have with officials in uniform, by introducing them to the friendly individuals patrolling our beaches.

"Community groups can reach out to us at Surf Life Saving NSW and we can support them and they can also educate themselves by popping onto our new Beach Coastal Safety Hub at beachsafetyhub.org.au. We have resources on there in over 30 languages and full in-language pages too," Ms Kiss said.