Did you know?

According to Royal Life Saving Australia, nearly half of Year 6 students in Australia can’t swim 50 metres and 1 in 10 children aged 5 to 14 have never had a swimming lesson.

That’s why Sydney Airport has partnered with Inner West Council to deliver the Community Water Safety program, giving eligible children the chance to learn swimming as a vital life skill, completely free.

More than 14,000 free swimming lessons will be provided to local kids from Sydney’s Inner West who might otherwise miss out due to financial hardship.

The fun and water education these little swimmers will experience has been made possible through funding from Sydney Airport, including a $100,000 donation and $253,142 raised through Sydney Airport’s 2025 Lost Property Auction – totalling $353,142 towards free swimming lessons.

Happy kids are already making a splash! Over 150 children have already signed up since the program launched in August 2025 with many more spaces to fill.

The Inner West Aquatics and Recreation team kicked off the program at the following pools:

• Ashfield Aquatic Centre

• Annette Kellerman Aquatic Centre

• Leichhardt Park Aquatic Centre

Parents, carers and local schools have all welcomed the program.

A parent from a local not-for-profit preschool said:

“We are grateful for the support and partnership that makes programs like this possible. It means a great deal to our families and provides such an important life skill for the children.”

A case worker relaying positive feedback from a local mother said:

“Her son is mostly non-verbal but when he’s in the water he speaks and expresses himself a lot more. He also sees other children excited and this excites him.”

This initiative is one example of how Sydney Airport is delivering on our Community Investment Strategy, and strengthening our role within the local community.

Kristen Sweeney, Group Executive, People & Corporate Affairs from Sydney Airport said the airport is delighted to give back to our neighbouring communities in this meaningful way.

“Supporting kids and families with the goal of enhancing the wellbeing and safety of our local community is so important to us. Along with the Inner West Aquatics and Recreation team, we’re pleased to be ‘opening the pool gates’ to offer opportunities for more local kids to learn to swim,” Ms Sweeney said.

With the rising cost of living in Australia, the new program aims to remove financial barriers from swimming education and improve safety in the water, especially for children who may not otherwise have had the opportunity.

Simon Duck, Senior Manager Aquatics and Recreation from Inner West Council is thrilled to see the new program underway.

“The Sydney Airport and Inner West Council Community Water Safety program is a unique partnership providing swimming lessons to those who are at risk of non-participation. We already have over 150 kids enrolled in the program and look forward to providing lessons for many more families over the coming years,” Mr Duck said.

If you live in Sydney’s Inner West, dive into this great opportunity!

To participate, contact your school, pre-school or local community organisation to check your eligibility for the program.

Local schools and community organisations can sign up to be a referring partner by contacting the Inner West Aquatics and Recreation team at: communityswim@innerwest.nsw.gov.au