Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) is Australia’s leading authority on coastal waters safety, drowning prevention and rescue. With over 176,000 members and 314 affiliated Surf Life Saving (SLS) clubs, SLSA is a unique organization. It is the largest volunteer organization in the country and one of the largest volunteer operations of its kind in the world.
SLSA delivers significant social and economic benefits to Australian communities each year through coastal safety, lifesaving, education, sport and recreation programs and services. Deloitte Access Economics worked to estimate the social and economic value of SLSA to Australian communities. A cost-benefit analysis approach was used to enable SLSA and its stakeholders to better understand the benefits generated to Australian communities by the external funding and volunteer support that SLSA receives.
Our analysis shows that for every $1 invested in SLSA, the Australian community receives $20.20 in return. Other key findings include:
- From 2018 to 2019, 43,092 volunteer surf lifesavers spent more than 1.3 million hours patrolling beaches across the country. In addition to this, SLSA members spend more than 14 million hours a year in other forms of volunteering.
- From 2018 to 2019, SLSA’s volunteer surf lifesavers and paid lifeguards conducted 10,176 rescues and took more than 1.5 million preventive actions.
- As a result of the work of volunteer surf lifesavers and paid lifeguards, it is expected that 1,363 lives will be saved and 818 serious injuries will be prevented each year. These lives saved and averted have a current value of $6.1 billion.
- SLSA provides CPR training to more than 96,000 people each year who have not previously received CPR training. This training prepares members and non-members to respond to medical emergencies in their communities, saving an average of 294,855 hours of life each year.
- Members and non-members alike can complete a variety of education and training programs through SLSA affiliated clubs. Each year, 924 members are expected to secure gainful employment. This is due, at least in part, to the new skills learned during SLSA training.
- By joining the SLSA, members are encouraged to live a more active and healthy lifestyle, with 67% of members meeting the Australian Physical Activity Guidelines, compared to 45% of the Australian population. I’m satisfied. This reduces the risk of developing health conditions associated with physical inactivity, resulting in positive health effects for these members.
For more information and a video summarizing the analysis, please visit the Surf Life Saving Australia website.