SURF LIFE SAVING AUSTRALIA ANNUAL REPORT 2007–08

AUSTRALIAN
LIFESAVING ACADEMY
OPERATIONS REPORT
OVERVIEW OF THE YEAR
Since the inception of the Australian Lifesaving Academy
(ALA), SLSA has managed a number of key implementation
projects as well as providing direct support for the state
and Northern Territory academies. All states are now
independent registered training organisations (RTOs) with
Northern Territory expected to be accredited by March
2009. The ALA national offi ce has successfully undergone
its fi rst Vocational Education and Training Accreditation
Board (VETAB) compliance audit and has over the past year
completed quarterly Department of Education, Employment
and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) funding reports.
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES FOR 2008–09
As we start into 2008–09, the ALA is now in a position
to nationally deliver fi rst aid-related products both
commercially and domestically. The second half of
2008 will see the roll out of the following initiatives:
• Australian Lifesaving Academy website
• 1300 national contact number
• national and state marketing
• state marketing stage 2 (September – October)
• resource projects (manuals)
• resource development model
• e-learning resources.
A national suite of e-learning resources will be added to
the suite of manual resources that are being developed.
This will enable us to keep pace with the commercial
workplace safety market and also to begin to provide
SLSA members with fl exible learning options.
The Academy is entering an exciting phase and the
benefi ts of our push into the world of VET accredited
training awards will be seen by our members as a valuable
component of their development and also the recognition
of the skills set required by surf lifesavers to successfully
complete our job of saving lives. The other side of the
Academy is that through commercial training we will get
the opportunity to expose our ‘brand’ to thousands of
people from across Australia whom through location or
culture would not otherwise have had the opportunity to
be exposed to surf lifesaving.
See also Table 15 on page 134—awards and educational qualifi cations issued.
28 SURF LIFE SAVING AUSTRALIA—ANNUAL REPORT 2007–08
COASTAL
SAFETY SERVICES
OPERATIONS REPORT
OVERVIEW OF THE YEAR
In 2007–08 we enhanced our national coastal safety
service capabilities. The Australian Coastal Public Safety
Guidelines, 1st Edition, (consultation version) were released
with copies distributed to many groups, agencies, state and
local government departments for comment and input.
The SLSA Coastal Risk Assessment procedures were updated
in accordance with best practice, emerging standards such as
the ISO31000 risk management; principles and guidelines on
implementation standards currently under development, and
through a partnership with international organisations the Royal
National Lifeboat Institution and Surf Life Saving New Zealand.
A ‘proof of concept’ trial was commenced to streamline
fi eld-based hazard and risk data collection, risk analysis
and evaluation, and risk assessment report writing.
This trial incorporates current state-of-the-art GPS and
photographic hardware that integrates to database and
mapping software solutions.
The training of risk assessors is considered a critical
component of effective risk assessment. As a result we
commenced improvements to our assessor training through the
development of a Certifi cate IV in Coastal Risk Management.
The Australian Beach Safety Management Program
(ABSAMP) has been enhanced into a web capable SQL
database that contains data and information on more than
11,740 beaches across Australia.
EXTERNAL INFLUENCES ON PERFORMANCE
• Risk management principles provide valuable guidance
for the systematic identifi cation of hazards and the
treatment of risks arising therefrom.
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES FOR 2008–09
• The launch of the new Coastal Risk Management
training program.
• Introduction of streamlined coastal risk assessment
through use of technology.
• Signifi cant increase in the number of coastal risk treatments
arising from structured and systematic risk assessments.
• Creation of the beach safety accreditation scheme and
associated CoastSafe Awards for excellence in beach
and coastal safety.