Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Royal Life Saving Society of Australia has released some pretty disturbing statistics: one in four Australian adults can't swim and 40 per cent of children graduate primary school without being able to swim. In Hornsby in my electorate, we have the Hornsby aquatic centre, which offers great learn-to-swim classes, but it also takes care of Australians who want to learn to race and be part of the competitive nature of Australian swimming.

We've got two very important swim clubs. I recently visited the Berowra RSL Sub-Branch Youth Swimming Club. It's been going since 1959, and it races every Sunday. I want to thank and acknowledge the president, Dean Burgess, and the executive, Kiri Burgess, Corrie Hassan and Hayley Matthews, for their leadership of the committee. I also want to acknowledge the wider committee: Kristy Livy, David Duncan, Ian Thompson, James Keevy, Claire Dewar and Ashleigh Robinson.

At the Hornsby Swim Club, which has been going for 63 years and meets on Friday nights, I want to acknowledge President Bec Sheppherd and the committee of Lachlan Hinds, Lachlan West, Barbara Judson, Susan Martin-Blake, David Grant, Rachel Gibbons, Alan Hitchens and Margaret Gruca-Dziok.

These are two very important clubs with very important committees who volunteer their time to create safe and welcoming spaces and have built the sort of club cultures that keeps people turning up for both clubs. With over 250 members, from little kids through to swimmers in their 70s, this is creating a very important racing culture and learn-to-swim culture in our community. Let me encourage everybody to get on down to the Hornsby aquatic centre.