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In 2023, Swimming Australia released their national call to action, Deadly Little Dolphins. It aims to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have access to learn to swim to improve their water safety skills and swimming. The program is beginning with a pilot in Thursday island the includes local schools and community members and involves co-designed learn-to-swim programs, education for coaches, and addressing barriers like cost and access to programs. The initiative's end goal is to achieve Olympic success in the Brisbane 2032 games through creating an intentionally structured pathway for First Nations athletes.

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Deadly Little Dolphins is Swimming Australia's national call to action to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have access to learn to swim to improve their swimming and water safety skills.

Deadly Little Dolphins is a key project of the overarching Swimming Australia Deadly Dolphins initiative which aims to strengthen the swimming pathway for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander athletes, harnessing developing talent across the swimming system, and ultimately, deliver an Olympic and/or Paralympic medal by an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander swimmer at Brisbane 2032.

The first Deadly Little Dolphins learn to swim pilot program is being developed with the Thursday Island community, local schools and community members included. A suite of co-designed in- school learn to swim programs, beginner squad programs and LTS teacher and Coach education programs will be delivered as part of the Thursday Island Deadly Little Dolphins initiative.

Danny Morseu, Olympian, Deputy Chairperson of the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) Indigenous Committee, and Thursday Island resident, says: 'Swimming Australia's Deadly Little Dolphins program is a wonderful initiative and we on Thursday Island are excited by the programs potential.'

'Our community is water loving and a structured sustainable in-school learn to swim program for our children, along with opportunities to develop swimming stroke competency amongst our local children and youth is exciting and is very welcome.'

'We would love a Thursday Island community member to be on the Australian Olympic/Paralympic Team in Brisbane '32.'

Swimming Australia CEO Eugenie Buckley explained the co-designed Deadly Little Dolphins' Learn to Swim programs aim to improve the swimming and water safety skills for all First Nations communities.

'First Nations people are disproportionately represented in drowning statistics, and that is not good enough,' Buckley said.

'Swimming Australia is committed to help reduce drownings in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and to reduce mortality rates from drownings for First Nations children.'

The Australian Water Safety Council (AWSC), which Swimming Australia is a member of alongside Royal Life Saving Australia, Surf Life Saving Australia and a number of key industry voices, identifies in its Australian Water Safety Strategy 2030 that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are a key community of focus with First Nations Australians representing three per cent of the Australian population, but accounting for five per cent of all drownings.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are also more likely to experience a non-fatal drowning, which can leave them with a long-term brain injury or other organ damage, following oxygen deprivation.

Shockingly, in Queensland, for every fatal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander drowning, there are 9 non-fatal drownings.

Swimming Australia has and will continue to undertake consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, agencies, learn to swim and education delivery partners and experts to ensure Deadly Little Dolphins learn to swim programs are designed for community by community.

Swimming Australia will partner with schools, swim schools, swimming pool operators, councils, and community groups to deliver Deadly Little Dolphins across Australia.

In addition to Thursday Island, planning is well progressed with delivery partners in South-East Queensland and regional New South Wales, in order for the first Deadly Little Dolphins programs to be ready in a range of locations for the start of Term Four in schools.

'Crucial to the success of Deadly Little Dolphins is that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are identifying the best possible model of delivery for their individual communities. First Nations people have a close cultural connection to country, including waterways and it's vital this is taken into consideration, including recognising that a pool may not always be the best location to deliver the program,' Buckley said.

Swimming Australia will address other learn to swim program barriers for First Nation communities, including cost, access, transport and culturally appropriate content and delivery.

Additionally, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander coaches will be supported with tailored education and additional support and mentoring to progress their careers as coaches.

Swimming Australia will be exploring partnership opportunities with Governments and corporate Australia to ensure sustainable long-term delivery of the Deadly Little Dolphins initiative across the nation.
Deadly Little Dolphins also forms part of Swimming Australia's structured pathway to deliver the next generation's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sporting icon in Australia's highest profile Olympic and Paralympic sport.

'Thirty-two years after Cathy's incredible moments at Sydney 2000, together, let's deliver that same awe-inducing moment of pride and celebration for Australia's next generation,' Buckley said.

The ambition is backed by Quandamooka man and BNE32 Legacy Committee Panellist Cameron Costello. 'I'm really excited by the potential of this program,' said Costello.

'What I'm hoping to see is that right throughout Australia, we're creating these beautiful little pods of First Nation People, and have these pod squads working together to drive forward to have an Olympic champion that is a First Nations person for Australia, our great Country.'

Australia's highest profile and most successful Olympic and Paralympic swimmer is the former world swimming champion and Olympic medalist Sam Riley. Proud Wiradjuri woman Bianca Crisp was recently named in the Dolphins Team for the 2023 World Open Water Championships in Fukuoka.

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Deadly Little Dolphins to improve First Nations water safety

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Deadly Little Dolphins is Swimming Australia's national call to action to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have access to learn to swim to improve their swimming and water safety skills.

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First Nation's People have a deep historical connection with all bodies of water including rivers, streams and beaches and aquatic activities for Indigenous communities were considered a crucial part of life for food, movement and leisure. Therefore, swimming competency was often deemed as necessary to stay active in their communities and have food to eat. Details of Indigenous involvement in water and aquatic sports remain relatively untold, but their skills have been vital in the sustainability and thriving communities we see today.

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The First Nation's people involvement in swimming historically is little understood and Indigenous people are not associated with the sport. However, there are many reports that offer detailed evidence of First Nation's People participating in swimming:

Watkin Tench, an officer of marines aboard the First Fleet wrote of Indigenous swimming ability, including 'expert' diving of Arabanoo and life-saving skills of Baneelon

William Govett, an assistant surveyor in New South Wales from 1827-1833 noted that the 'natives are.. bold and surprisingly expert, both in swimming and diving'

Charles Steedman, former English swimmer and Later Melbourne headmaster wrote that 'nothing seems to give him more pleasure than a bogie' (a swim on the sea coast).

It is clear that First Nation's people were historically good swimmers and enjoyed the sport.

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Water Colonisation is a view or policy based on colonial imperialism that underpins the colonisation of water. Water colonialism normalises settler occupation of land, the dispossession of Indigenous peoples of water and legitimises settler exploitation of water. In First Nation culture, they don't see land, water and people as separate beings, however a land/water separation is often imposed by settler states' where they recognise right to land but not water. Indigenous peoples around the world have relatively restricted access to productive water resources, meaning less chance to practice and learn to swim. According to Doreen, Walgett residents when there’s no water, the crime rate goes up and when there’s water, that relieves the community and the crime rate goes down. The river is a source of recreation for us – people go camping, fishing, swimming and events are put on when there’s water in the river.

Indigenous water justice is part of broader struggles for environmental and social justice, self-determination, sovereignty and general wellbeing and is something that needs to be understood and managed further.

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The Deadly Little Dolphin's learn to swim program aims to improve the swimming and water safety skills for all First Nations communities. This is due to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people being a key contributor to total Australian drownings with 5%, however only accounting for 3% of total population. Alongside this factor, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are more likely to experience a non-fatal drowning, which can possibly leave them with a long-term brain injury or other organ damage. Hence the importance to have a specific program dedicated to our First Nation's people.

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Swimming Australia - Deadly Little Dolphins To Improve Swim Safety And Pave The Way For First Nations BNE32 Success

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Deadly Little Dolphins is Swimming Australia’s national call to action to ensure that Aboriginal…

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Australia's First Nation's people's needs, cultural and social background of individuals and groups need to be addressed to help defeat the under-representation of First Nations people in sport. Unlike the average Caucasian person in Australia, Indigenous people are faced with a variety of barriers:

Limited access to facilities or transport to facilities

Cost limitations

Cultural barriers

Racism, discrimination and vilification

Negative feelings towards colonisation (not wanting to engage in a 'westernised' sport)

Extent of time spent participating in sport may seem as selfish to family and community.

First Nation People have a wider range of barriers and less facilitators to sport participation and these must be considered when developing a program to change the level of participation.

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What motivates individuals to participate in sport and physical activity can change over time and will be influenced by individual, cultural, and social factors.

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A key socio-cultural factor for First Nations People's involvement in sport is connection with the people around them and their surroundings. It is important for young athletes or young participants in sport have Indigenous role models to look up to and to feel safe and comfortable to participate.

The AIS Share a Yarn First Nations Cultural Connection Camp in 2023 is a perfect example of First Nation's athletes coming together to connect, sharing meals, culture etc being a benefit and privilege for all involved. Tanisha Williams believes that some of her best memories of participating in sport were in teams 'full of her mob' and discusses the importance of connection in sport.

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AIS Share a Yarn First Nations Cultural Connection Camp 2023

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First Nation's People need programs that are sustainably resourced and receptive to the participants needs and expectations to facilitate participation. Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people have a range of barriers to sport participation that need to be worked around such as:

Lack of access to transport

financial constraints and unemployment - low socioeconomic status

Importance of social and family connections - a barrier because cultural and family obligations are seen as more important

Experiences of racism

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Facilitators and Barriers to Physical Activity and Sport Participation Experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Adults: A Mixed Method Review

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Physical activity has cultural significance and population health benefits. However, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults may experience challenges in participating in physical activity. This mixed methods systematic review aimed to synthetize existing evidence on facilitators and barriers for physical activity participation experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults in Australia. The Joanna Briggs Institute methodology was used. A systematic search was undertaken of 11 databases and 14 grey literature websites during 2020. The included studies reported physical activity facilitators and barriers experienced by Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander participants aged 18+ years, living in the community. Twenty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Sixty-two facilitators were identified: 23 individual, 18 interpersonal, 8 community/environmental and 13 policy/program facilitators. Additionally, 63 barriers were identified: 21 individual, 17 interpersonal, 15 community/environmental and 10 policy/program barriers. Prominent facilitators included support from family, friends, and program staff, and opportunities to connect with community or culture. Prominent barriers included a lack of transport, financial constraints, lack of time, and competing work, family or cultural commitments. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults experience multiple facilitators and barriers to physical activity participation. Strategies to increase participation should seek to enhance facilitators and address barriers, collaboratively with communities, with consideration to the local context.

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The COVID-19 Kaupapa Māori Response Plan intended to combat the heightened play, active recreation and sport sector inequalities for Maori within the system. The plan is grounded in a unique, holistic, Te Ao Māori approach that distinguishes the culturally different pathways which enables Māori to succeed as Māori through play, active recreation and sport. Essentially, the program is similar to what Swimming Australia are trying to achieve through the Deadly Dolphins program. They created a distinctive response plan aimed at the Māori people using culturally traditional ways of learning to ensure First Nation's people are able to engage in sport.

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COVID-19 Kaupapa Māori Response Plan | Sport New Zealand - Ihi Aotearoa

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Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa has created a COVID-19 Kaupapa Māori Response Plan as part of our $265m COVID-19 recovery investment programme.

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Liverpool's Indigenous Learn to Swim Program created by Belgravia Leisure aimed to deliver a local group of Indigenous youths the opportunity to gain the lifesaving skill of being able to swim.

The program aimed to supply the youth an increased swimming ability and confidence, remove the cost barriers for lessons, improve overall fitness and cardiovascular health, develop their basic swimming skills, increase their knowledge of water safety and rescue techniques and create additional lesson and employment opportunities.

The program was fully subsidised for the youth through donations and a Reverse Vending Machine delivered to primary school children.

The program’s remarkable achievements underscore the significance of eliminating access barriers and establishing pathways for disadvantaged communities.

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Liverpool’s Indigenous Youth Dive into Success with Learn to Swim Program

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John Moriarty Football is Australia's longest running and most successful Indigenous football initiative for youths. The program is run in schools and teaches transformational skills to create football talent and positive change for individuals involved. The program provides skill and game training along with health meals and snacks in the sessions with the meals being designed by a sports dietitian are filled with nutrients that are often lacking from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island children's diets.

According to Randal Smith, the principal of Mossman State School, the school noticed an increase in positive behaviour and an increased attendance rate on the days that JMF were running their program in the school.

JMF put heavy focus on remaining present in the communities in which they operate and ensure they create meaningful and positive relationships with each school they interact with.

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John Moriarty, the first Aboriginal player selected to play football for Australia, and his son James Moriarty co-founded JMF.

John and James launched the pilot program in Borroloola, in the remote Gulf of Carpentaria, NT in 2012. In the decade since, JMF has expanded its hubs to include Dubbo in NSW, Kuranda in QLD and Tennant Creek in NT.

Our goal is to grow JMF through our best practice curriculum and an integrated sport/health delivery. Our core focus is on building wellbeing, protective relationships and community connection, to support learning and football development outcomes.

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John Moriarty Football - Moriarty Foundation

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John Moriarty Football is a transformational skills mastery program for 2-18 year olds that uses football for talent and positive change, improving school attendance and achieving resilient, healthier outcomes in remote communities.

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The Remote Pools Project is a community led program that aims to improve the health a vitality for First Nations Community. The project works alongside communities, with local swimming pools at the centre of focus. They believe safe operation of swimming pools, together with delivery of community-led health promotion programs creates diverse community benefits. The program provides children and young people living in remote Indigenous communities with access to regular swimming and water safety education programs to be educated on how to be safe in and around water - aiming to decrease the level of drownings associated with First Nations People. The Y uses a community-led approach to work in communities are they want to ensure strengths and assets of the community are identified and the needs within the community are understood. Developing mutual trust and understanding is considered vital to ensure that the program is successful. The Remote Pools Project employs local people in the communities where we work and engages experienced volunteers to form teams who manage the swimming pool facilities and deliver programs.

Swimming Australia should consider partnering with the Y to give even more First Nation communities similar opportunities.

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Remote Pools Project is working in partnership with communities, the Y has developed the Remote Pools Project as a new operating model for swimming pools in some remote communities across Central Australia.

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First Nations Sport and Recreation Program 

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First Nations Sport and Recreation Program 

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The First Nations Sport and Recreation program is a government funded program that aims to increase the physical activity levels of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in non-discrete communities.

The program provides funding to organisations to coordinate the delivery of physical activity opportunities for First Nation's People to ultimately increase the participation levels in sport.

For example, they provided $60,000 worth of funding to Cairns Netball Association to deliver a Netball Program to First Nation's people in the Cairns Region.

Does Swimming Australia need to apply for funding to jumpstart their Deadly Little Dolphin's program?

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Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport

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First Nations Sport and Recreation Program

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Aims to provide physical activity opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples throughout Queensland.

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The program ensures that local schools and community members situated on Thursday Island are included in developing and delivering the Deadly Little Dolphins initiative to ensure it has a First Nation's perspective. Two time Olympic Basketballer who is now deputy chair of the Australian Olympic Indigenous committee has put his hand up to teach stroke competency in young swimmers. Swimming Australia is ensuring that the First Nations are heavily involved with this program as the Dolphins carry an immediate affinity with many First Nations coastal and island people.

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At the northern tip of Australia, the search is on for the next First Nations Olympics champion

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Australia has historically lacked First Nations representation in the Olympic pool — but this program is looking to change that by Brisbane 2032.

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Red Dust is an organisation that is actively engaged in Reconciliation and has a board of committee that has a minimum of 50% First Nations ownership, meaning all programs run through the organisation have a significant Indigenous perspective. Red Dust's mission is to work together to enrich lives, improve health and strengthen the future of Indigenous youth and families.

The organisation partners with local communities to best target specific needs to ensure the First Nations People are improving their knowledge on any barriers found in the community. The organisers encourage Indigenous youth to learn more about healthy living through using channels they typically respond to including sport, art, music and dance, considerably their traditional ways of learning.

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Statistically, Life expectancy for Aboriginal males in Australia is estimated at 18 years less than non-Aboriginal men on average (59 years for Aboriginal men versus 77 years for non-Aboriginal men). There is also a 6 year gap in life expectancy between Aboriginal men and Aboriginal women (59 years and 65 years respectively)

Emerging data confirms that Aboriginal men have the worst health outcomes of any subgroup in Australia. The data clearly indicates that Aboriginal men's health and wellbeing is not going well at the moment.

Aboriginal men die earlier from chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, injury, respiratory disease, cancer and endocrine disease. They have higher rates of suicide than non-Aboriginal men, and have similar death rates from assault to females.

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Statistically, Life expectancy for Aboriginal males in Australia is estimated at 18 years less than non-Aboriginal men on average (59 years for Aboriginal men versus 77 years for non-Aboriginal men). There is also a 6 year gap in life expectancy between Aboriginal men and Aboriginal women (59 years and 65 years respectively) Emerging data confirms that Aboriginal men have the worst health outcomes of any subgroup in Australia.

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The Australian Government delivered a paper to review available evidence of a range of sports and recreation programs in relation to their effects on supporting and encouraging First Nation's people's participation in sport.

The review found that within Indigenous communities there is a strong component of sport and recreation linking with traditional culture. This meaning cultural activities such as hunting are generally more accepted as a form of sport and recreation than traditional dance. Therefore sport and recreational programs that are implemented in Indigenous and Torres Strait communities need to be culturally appropriate.

The review also found that before commencing a program it is vital to involve the community in the planning of the program to ensure it has First Nation's People perspective to allow for physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and cultural wellbeing to maintain cultural relevance and appropriateness. It has been noted that involving the community in planning the project and incorporating their interests and expectations will maximise buy-in.

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The major goal of Swim Australia's Deadly Little Dolphins program is to improve swim safety now and ideally provide a much needed pathway for a Thursday Island Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander swimmer to potentially medal at the Olympic or Paralympic Games in Brisbane 2032. It also aims to improve the swimming and water safety skills for all First Nations community as they are disproportionately represented in drowning statistics and Swimming Australia is dedicated to reducing mortality rates due to this cause.

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Deadly Little Dolphins, a MEMOS Project in Motion

Ana Croger from the current class, MEMOS XXV, already has her MEMOS project in motion. Her project is titled "Project Yul'lu: Butchulla country lies in the Great Sandy region on the south-east coast of Queensland, Australia. The Butchulla people's totem is Yul'lu (dolphin)."

From her project: "The purpose of this research project is to understand the barriers and facilitators to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in swimming in order to provide recommendations to Swimming Australia to increase participation and provide talent pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander athletes." And here is how Swim Australia has already put the results in motion:

In Australia, Swim Australia is launching its learn to swim program: Deadly Little Dolphins. This program is an effort to improve swim safety now and ultimately, provide the pathway needed for an Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islands swimmer medaling at the Olympic or Paralympic Games in Brisbane 2032.

The pilot program is being co-developed with the Thursday Island community, their local schools, and key community members. Danny Morseu, Olympian, Deputy Chairperson of the AOC Indigenous Committee, and Thursday Island resident, says "Swimming Australia's Deadly Little Dolphins program is a wonderful initiative and we on Thursday Island are excited by the programs potential."

"Our community is water loving and a structured sustainable in-school learn to swim program for our children, along with opportunities to develop swimming stroke competency amongst our local children and youth is exciting and is very welcome".

"We would love a Thursday Island community member to be on the Australian Olympic/Paralympic Team in Brisbane 32". Swimming Australia CEO Eugenie Buckley explained the co-designed Deadly Little Dolphins' Learn to Swim programs aim to improve the swimming and water safety skills for all First Nations communities. "First Nations people are disproportionately represented in drowning statistics, and that is not good enough," Buckley said. "Swimming Australia is committed to help reduce drownings in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and to reduce mortality rates from drownings for First Nations children."

"Crucial to the success of Deadly Little Dolphins is that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are identifying the best possible model of delivery for their individual communities. First Nations People have a close cultural connection to country, including waterways and it's vital this is taken into consideration, including recognising that a pool may not always be the best location to deliver the program," Buckley said.

Read more: here

Congratulations Ana Croger and Swim Australia on this strong start. We look forward to updates in the future!

The photo credit: Patrick Hamilton Photography.

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Deadly Little Dolphins, a MEMOS Project in Motion - MEMOS Association

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Deadly Little Dolphins, a MEMOS Project in Motion Ana Croger from the current class, MEMOS XXV, already has her MEMOS project in motion. Her project is titled "Project Yul'lu: Butchulla country lies in the Great Sandy region on the south-east coast of Queensland, Australia. The Butchulla people's totem is Yul'lu (dolphin)."

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Swimming Australia and the Deadly Little Dolphins program acknowledges the First Nations people involvement in aquatic activities. The program are engaging and getting First Nation's people such as Bianca Crisp, to inspire young kids to get involved in the program. The Deadly Little dolphins program will be able to give Indigenous youth a specific 'grassroot' pathway to feel comfortable in learning to swim and to discover potential talent in the pool.

Swimming Australia are excited to push the roll out of this program and are highlighting the importance of having First Nation's people legacy in the Olympics for 2032.

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Swimming Australia launches Deadly Little Dolphins program (2021)

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Swimming Australia find the biggest challenge with the Deadly Little Dolphins Program is understanding and implementing a different way of approaching the traditional way that sport programs are created. They are needing to interact and communicate with individual communities to understand the wants and needs and how they interact with swimming as different First Nation communities have a variety of differences.

With a human-centred design approach comes the difficulty of gaining sponsorship as sending people out into First Nation's communities and assisting with the program creates large expenses for Swimming Australia. Creating a pitch the entails the importance of creating meaningful connections with First Nation's communities is vital in the Deadly Little Dolphins programs finding partnerships and being able to run successfully.

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Sport Development Systems (Guest Speakers, Matt Simpson & Bec Herbert)-20240819_145939-Meeting Recording - Trim

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In 2012, Swimming Australia were employing staff and contractors for the delivery of swimming to Indigenous Australians with the programs focussing on the NT central desert and QLD gulf areas. These programs are delivered over a number of days and aim to reach at least 15 remote communities each year. The program aimed to increase swimming participation of First Nations People through community delivery and training and to ensure swimming programs within communities continue to have a strong ongoing presence. The programs involved the provision of education and training in pool facility management, learn to swim teaching and coaching and enabled ongoing support to meet the needs of the individual communities.

This programs sounds directly similar to the new Deadly Little Dolphins program, so why did this program stop or why didn't Swimming Australia continue to develop it?