The Royal Lifesaving Society of WA today released sad and sobering statistics showing 42 people drowned in Western Australia in 2016-17, a 17 per cent increase on the 10-year average.
People in regional and remote areas were nearly four times more likely to drown than people in the city, while fatalities in inland waterways spiked by 23 per cent over the last year.
Sport and Recreation Minister Mick Murray today urged Western Australians to make use of the State Government’s water safety programs, keep watch of friends and family in the water, and to not overestimate their abilities.
More than half of all people who drowned in WA were aged 25 to 54, while fatalities involving boats and watercraft increased.
The State Government has been a long-time supporter of the Royal Lifesaving Society of WA’s water safety programs, with funding of more than $700,000 for 2015-19.