- Cook Labor Government will provide an additional $7.7 million for swimming and water safety education as part of 2026-27 State Budget
- New funding to further strengthen access to swimming programs for Western Australian children and young people
- New trial to improve community access to public school swimming pools
- Western Australia's VacSwim and Interm swimming programs are the most comprehensive water safety programs in Australia
The Cook Labor Government will invest $7.7 million towards further strengthening delivery of swimming and water safety programs across Western Australia.
The additional funding, allocated as part of the 2026-27 State Budget, will support the Department of Education's work to continue to build WA's swimming instructor workforce, as well as encourage participation by community groups that are underrepresented in swimming and water safety programs.
The Department of Education will also initiate a trial, in collaboration with Royal Life Saving Society WA, to increase access to public school pools for community use and provision of swimming and water safety programs.
The Department of Education's swimming and water safety program, which includes Interm swimming and VacSwim, is the most comprehensive in Australia.
To keep holiday swimming lessons affordable for all WA families, VacSwim offers heavily subsidised five-to-10-day programs for children and young people aged five to 17 years in more than 175 locations across WA during the January and October school holidays.
Demand for theDepartment of Education's Swimming and Water Safety curriculumremains high, reinforcing its reputation as a leading andcomprehensiveprogram for learning vital swimming and water safety skills.
As stated by Education Minister Sabine Winton:
"The Department of Education already provides the most comprehensive swimming and water safety programs in Australia, and the largest in the southern hemisphere.
"Swimming and water safety programs are vital to ensure children and young people build their confidence in the water and learn the lifelong water safety skills that are essential to enjoy WA's incredible coastal lifestyle.
"This investment will help to ensure that our water safety programs are strengthened and accessibility is improved, opening up more of our public school pools for use by community groups outside of school hours.
"Whether you live in the suburbs of Perth, one of our regional cities, or the towns and remote communities across our State, this investment will help to keep WA families and young people safe at our incredible beaches, rivers, and pools."
