Nine more Australians drowned in the past 12 months than over the same period the previous year, the total for the past year reaching 291. And research shows, while children up to age 4 remain the group most likely to drown, the number of older Australians getting into trouble in the water has also increased.
Australia's waterways have proven particularly hazardous for people over the past year.
Royal Life Saving's annual National Drowning Report reveals a 38 per cent increase in the number of drowning deaths among children under age 5 as the total overall grew to 291.
Many drownings occurred in places largely overlooked -- rivers first, followed by beaches -- and improperly supervised or fenced home swimming pools remain a major concern.
The report is the first to look at both drownings and near-drownings. The changing make-up of Australian society provides a unique challenge. In the past 12 months, 20 international tourists drowned in Australian waterways, almost all of them from European or Asian countries.
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