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September 21st, 2011 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda
Updated
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The summer’s flood have been blamed for the spike in drowning deaths.
A new report has found the floods across eastern Australia have contributed to the highest number of deaths from drowning since 2003.
In its annual report, the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) found 315 people drowned between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011.
Thirty-eight of the deaths occurred during the Queensland summer floods.
The society also found an alarming increase in the number of people aged over 55 who drowned – 117 people or 37 per cent of all drowning deaths.
New South Wales reported the highest number of deaths with 107, while 38 people drowned in Victoria and 37 in Western Australia. Four people drowned in the ACT.
Of the 15 people who drowned in Tasmania, the RLSS says over half had been drinking. It found most were between the ages of 55 and 64, and 80 per cent were male.
Home swimming pool drownings, however, fell by 24 per cent nationally compared to the five-year average.
Federal Sports Minister Mark Arbib says the figures are disturbing.
“We need to significantly turn back the tide on this,” he said.
Julia Fassina, from Royal Life Saving Tasmania, is worried about the drinking and boating culture.
“We have this national campaign in terms of drinking and driving, but in terms of while people are out doing aquatic activities, they’re not sort of equating those messages,” she said.
“It is a major concern for us because when we have reviewed the stats for Tasmania, nearly 60 per cent of people who drowned they were under the influence of alcohol.”
Audio:
Drowning rates highest since 2003
(The World Today)
Most of the people who drowned in New South Wales were men who had died in inland waterways.
RLSS spokesman Justin Scarr says middle-aged men are over-represented in the figures.
“While we’ve been talking for many years about the dangers of drowning for children – very young children in and around swimming pools – we’re seeing increasing numbers of older people drowning and they’re more likely to drown in rivers than they are at beaches,” he said.
“They’re increasingly drowning in recreational activities like boating, swimming and diving.”
Last week, a Surf Life Saving Australia report found the number of people who drowned off Australia’s coastline last year was below the yearly average.
Topics:
floods,
emergency-incidents,
emergency-planning,
charities-and-community-organisations,
activism-and-lobbying,
brisbane-4000,
bundaberg-4670,
cairns-4870,
wa,
nt,
qld,
sa,
tas,
vic,
nsw,
act,
gladstone-4680,
longreach-4730,
mackay-4740,
maroochydore-4558,
mount-isa-4825,
rockhampton-4700,
southport-4215,
toowoomba-4350,
townsville-4810
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