12,000 Primary School students so far in 2026 have participated in free swimming lessons under a Finocchiaro CLP Government initiative to deliver cost of living relief for families and lifesaving skills for Territory children.
This week, students from remote communities in the red centre were in Alice Springs participating in their swimming lessons, which one school has attributed to an uptick in School attendance.
The Finocchiaro CLP Government made the program permanent at the beginning of the year.
Thousands of Primary School students from across the Territory are participating in their free swimming lessons this year under a Finocchiaro CLP Government initiative to deliver cost of living relief for families and give Territory children crucial lifesaving skills.
The program saw 17,899 Primary School students from government and non-government schools participate in 2025.
So far in 2026, 12,000 students have participated in their free swimming lessons, with thousands more expected from the 54 schools undertaking their lessons before the end of the year.
Today, Minister for Education and Training, Jo Hersey, visited 30 Ntaria School students from Years 1, 2 and 3 attending their swimming lessons at the Alice Springs Aquatic and Leisure Centre.
Minister Hersey said in the Finocchiaro CLP Government’s year of growth, certainty and security, free swimming lessons deliver cost of living relief for families and gives Territory children crucial lifesaving skills.
“Under the CLP Government, your children will learn to swim at School just like they learn to read and write.
“Learning to swim is particularly important for students from Ntaria School as the Hermannsburg community is right on the Finke River, and I’m told the kids love to swim in it when it flows.
“The program has been a resounding success, and I was proud to announce earlier in the year that free swimming lessons for all Territory Primary School students will be permanent.”
Ntaria School Health & Physical Education Leader Jake O’Neill said: “We have seen an uptick in student attendance recently in these year levels, I believe the swimming lessons contribute to this.
“It is very easy to get students to engage with the lessons as they see it as a fun day out where they get to go into town and swim in a pool. When in fact, they are learning potentially lifesaving skills.
“The progress these students have shown is amazing. There were students that could barely tread water at the start, and by the end of the 5-week block of lessons they are able to perform traditional swimming strokes.
“Families are very supportive of this opportunity. Students come to school with their backpacks prepared, helped by their parents. Some parents have even offered to assist with supervision on the day to ensure everything runs smoothly.”
From 2026, funding for the program is built into schools’ annual budgets, with additional funding provided as part of schools’ funding release each year.
