- Cook Government invests $5.5 million towards school swimming and water safety
- VacSwim will be free over December and January school holidays
- Initiative to encourage more children to learn vital water safety skills and help relieve cost-of-living pressures for WA families
- Free summer VacSwim enrolments open now until 16 October
- Free in-term classes for smaller, low Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) non-government schools to encourage students from diverse cultural backgrounds to learn how to swim
The Cook Labor Government will provide free VacSwim lessons for Western Australian children as part of a $5.5 million investment into school swimming lessons and water safety, set to save families hundreds of dollars.
VacSwim has been delivered in Western Australia for more than 100 years, with lessons held at pools and beaches across the State, and has contributed to safety in and near the water for generations of WA children and young people.
The summer VacSwim lessons, which range from five to 10 days in length, and pool entry for the duration will be free for all students who enrol in the swimming program over the December 2024 and January 2025 period.
This initiative is set to save up to $214 for a family with two children attending a 10-day VacSwim program.
In-term swimming classes, which run continuously, remain free for public school students and regional non-government school students.
From 2025-2028 these costs will be waived for a small number of non-government metropolitan schools with a low ICSEA of less than 1,000. The Department currently charges metropolitan non-government schools to recover the cost of the instructors. This $332,000 measure will encourage smaller non-government schools, including those from diverse cultural backgrounds, to offer an affordable swimming program for their students to learn how to swim.
These initiatives continue the Cook Government's commitment to easing cost-of-living pressures for WA families, which has included:
- free public transport for school students;
- the WA Student Assistance Payment - which made available $250 for every secondary school student, and $150 for primary and Kindergarten students to help families with school expenses;
- Secondary Assistance Scheme boosted to $535 in 2024 and 2025 for eligible students to support the purchase of school uniforms;
- KidSport voucher program increased to $500 for 2025;
- $500,000 one-off donations to WA-based charities Dandelions WA and Give Write to support children in need with school supplies; and
- providing every WA household with at least $700 in electricity credits.
The summer swimming package builds on the investment to establish a new specialist School of Swimming and Water Safety to deliver vital swimming programs for 250,000 WA school students who access school and vacation swimming lessons each year.
VacSwim enrolments are open now and will close 16 October with more information available at www.education.wa.gov.au/vacswim
Comments attributed to Premier Roger Cook:
"We want our kids to learn the importance of water safety, as it is incredibly important in Western Australia, which is why we have removed financial barriers to help drive increased participation.
"This summer we're making VacSwim lessons free as we help drive down cost-of-living pressures for Western Australian families.
"It represents up to $214 in savings for a family with two kids enrolled in a 10-day VacSwim program over the December and January school holidays.
"These initiatives build on the more than $762million in cost-of-living measures to support Western Australian households and small businesses, including record support for families, and more than $3.5 billion in cost-of-living assistance we have delivered since 2017."
Comments attributed to Education Minister Dr Tony Buti:
"We are privileged in Western Australia to enjoy a coastal lifestyle, with the majority of our population living close to water.
"To enable us to safely enjoy that lifestyle, the Department of Education provides the most comprehensive swimming and water safety programs in Australia and the largest in the southern hemisphere.
"Providing free in-term classes for smaller, low ICSEA non-government schools is a small but important measure to ensure students from diverse cultural backgrounds are encouraged to learn to swim to and improve swim safety."
