Lake Macquarie Water Safety

For the past 99 years the public baths at Toronto have offered the people of Lake Macquarie and their visitors alike a relatively safe spot to swim, fish and tie up their boats. Back in the 1930s, they even featured a dressing shed. However, over the years, the ever-popular historic facility became somewhat dated, not quite keeping up with the needs of modern society. It was with great pleasure that I recently attended, along with Mayor Adam Shultz and the Hon. Emily Suvaal, MLC, the official opening of the newly revamped Toronto Baths. Thanks to a $1 million grant from the New South Wales Government under the Places to Swim program and $400,000 from Lake Macquarie City Council, the baths are looking better than ever, and more swimmers are returning to the facility.

The baths now feature an accessibility ramp into the water, ensuring that people of all abilities can enjoy the facility. Decking was modernised and nets placed around the structure, ensuring safety from larger marine predators. It was wonderful timing that the restoration project was completed just in time for the swimming season, and I congratulate Lake Macquarie City Council and the State Government on delivering that upgrade.

On that note, as we head into summer and the school holidays, I highlight the importance of water safety, not just in the public baths and around the lake but also around the home. Lake Macquarie is a beautiful, thriving waterway, twice the size of Sydney Harbour. It is a majestic and beloved location for an array of water sports and recreation activities, but it can also be treacherous for the unprepared and those who lack basic swimming ability. This year got off to a tragic start in the Lake Macquarie community when six-year-old Sage Pearman drowned in a neighbour's pool at Teralba in January. He was unsupervised for a mere three minutes.

More recently, on 6 July, a 23-year-old man drowned in Lake Macquarie after his boat capsized in the Swansea Channel. Two more men aged 41 and 32 narrowly avoided a similar fate on 23 September when their boat capsized in Lake Macquarie at 11.00 p.m. They were not wearing life jackets and were clinging to their sinking aluminium boat for dear life. It was sheer luck that they were able to call 000 and that police were able to find them in the dead of night. Officers commandeered a jetski and were able to give them two life jackets while they awaited rescue from another privately owned boat.

Drowning is a very real danger, particularly for a community that is home to the biggest saltwater lake in the Southern Hemisphere, and not just to children but also increasingly to adults. The National Drowning Report 2024 produced by the Royal Life Saving Society Australia states that there were 323 drowning deaths across Australia between 1 July 2023 and 20 June 2024. That is a dreadful statistic, and it is 16 per cent higher than the 10-year average of drowning deaths in our nation. Some of the key findings in the report were that 40 per cent of people who drowned were adults aged 55 years and above. Further, 92 adults who drowned were aged over 65, which is 28 per cent of the total number of drowning deaths, the highest number ever for that group. People over 65 are drowning at a rate two to three times that of children under five. Those statistics show that swimming, water safety and lifesaving skills are not just important for our kids, though they very much are. Those skills are needed across all age groups. But there are other measures people can and should be taking to protect themselves and their loved ones, such as always wearing a life jacket on a vessel, supervising children, not swimming alone, being sensible around waterways, and fencing pools.

At this point, I acknowledge the incredible work of Marine Rescue Lake Macquarie, which is the key organisation keeping our waterway safe. Volunteers man the radio base 24 hours a day, seven days a week, while others are always on call to assist with an on-water emergency. I also acknowledge the work of our emergency service personnel and all of the good citizens who look out for anyone who might be in peril on our waterways, taking up the call in an emergency and putting themselves at risk in order to help others. The importance of water safety needs to be front of mind in all water environments, whether a lake, river, pool or beach. Even a few centimetres of water in the bottom of an esky is a drowning risk for a child. While Lake Macquarie is known for its relaxed living, I appeal to members of our community and visitors alike to remain vigilant, keep each other safe and, hopefully, return for a good year in 2025.