Olympic gold medallist and respected media personality Giaan Rooney OAM OLY has been announced as the official Ambassador for SWIMSAFER Week 2026, encouraging Australians to recognise that safer choices in and around the water begin with each of us.
Running nationally from 16–21 November 2026, this year’s campaign carries the theme SWIMSAFER Starts with Me and the key message Skills Save Lives.
SWIMSAFER Week brings swim schools, aquatic facilities, teachers, coaches, families and communities together to promote practical water-safety skills and positive actions that can help save lives.
SWIMSAFER Starts with Me is a reminder that everyone has a role to play in water safety. It may begin with enrolling in swimming lessons, continuing to develop essential skills, actively supervising children, checking the conditions before entering the water or knowing how to respond in an emergency.
Swimming is more than a sport for Olympians and Commonwealth Games Champions—it’s a life skill. And the skills learned in the water can one day help save a life, with the campaign encouraging every Australian to ask in the lead up to summer: What can I do to help myself and others stay safer in and around the water?
As an Olympic champion, former world champion, broadcaster and mother, Giaan brings a powerful combination of swimming experience and community connection to the campaign.
“I’m incredibly proud to be the Ambassador for SWIMSAFER Week once again,” Giaan said. “Swimming has brought so much freedom, confidence and joy to my life, but staying safer in and around the water begins with having the right skills and continuing to practise them.
“SWIMSAFER Starts with Me means recognising the choices I can make to protect myself and the people around me. Whether it is actively supervising children, learning new skills or refreshing the ones we already have, we can all take responsibility and make a difference.
“Confidence in the water is important, but confidence is strongest when it is supported by ongoing skill reinforcement, knowledge and an awareness of the risks. That is why the message Skills Save Lives is so important.”
SWIM Coaches & Teachers Australia CEO Brendon Ward said Giaan was a natural ambassador for a campaign focused on empowering Australians to take positive and practical action.
“Giaan has an extraordinary connection with the Australian swimming community and families across the country, and we are delighted to welcome her as our SWIMSAFER Week Ambassador once again,” Mr Ward said.
“SWIMSAFER Starts with Me is about personal responsibility, but it is also about the collective difference we can make. When individuals strengthen their skills, supervise actively, make safer decisions and share water-safety knowledge with others, the whole community becomes safer.
“The message Skills Save Lives reinforces that feeling comfortable or confident in the water is only one part of being safer. Practical swimming and water-safety skills need to be learned, practised and strengthened throughout every stage of life.”
Throughout SWIMSAFER Week, participating swim schools and aquatic facilities will share practical water-safety messages and activities designed to help swimmers, families and communities turn awareness into action.
The campaign also supports SWIMSAFER 365, reinforcing that water safety is not limited to one week or season. Safer habits, informed choices and practical skills should be developed and maintained throughout the year.
SWIMSAFER Week 2026
16–21 November 2026
Theme: SWIMSAFER Starts with Me
Campaign message: Skills Save Lives
