The Entrance candidate in the March 25 State election, Nathan Bracken, says the $23M commitment by the Liberals to surf lifesaving clubs would include rescue vehicles, jet skis and more to significantly enhance their capability.
He said the funding would be the biggest investment in Surf Life Saving NSW (SLSNSW) in its 116-year history.
“There are 21,000 volunteer lifesavers in NSW and hundreds of these are in our own Central Coast region,” Bracken said.
“Support for frontline services is a key initiative from the Perrottet Liberal team and it is only possible because of the strong economic record in NSW.
“I am proud to be part of a team that is delivering record funding to secure a brighter future for our volunteer lifesavers who are so integral to our community.
“They do an incredible job keeping our beaches safe.”
The NSW Liberal and Nationals Government’s $23M funding commitment consists of 22 new rescue vehicles and 68 new jet skis, which can also be deployed during other natural disasters like floods.
Also, there will be 40 additional Emergency Response Beacons, enabling lifesavers to remotely monitor unpatrolled sections of the NSW coastline, as well as additional emergency management staff permanently based in Regional NSW.
There will be radio communications upgrades and an additional $5M for the Surf Club Facility Program (taking it to $15M in total), which is administered by the Office of Sport to develop facilities that increase participation in surf life saving for all people, increase usage and improve safety.
SLSNSW President, George Shales, said an investment in lifesavers was an investment in community safety.
“I welcome this funding announcement, which is a significant increase on previous NSW Government support for our thousands of volunteers and staff,” he said.
“Every single dollar will make a difference to the equipment and resources our volunteers rely on, helping us to save more lives.”
Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience, Steph Cooke, said the funding commitment for SLSNSW came at a critical time.
“This summer is not over yet but we’ve already experienced record numbers of rescues and, sadly, drownings. This extra funding will go a long way towards ensuring our volunteers are better supported to keep our communities safer and stronger,” she said.
Source: Media release, Feb 21, Liberal Candidate for The Entrance, Nathan Bracken