SA bans ocean activities for students after shark attacks
A recent ban on South Australian school students from ocean activities, could be overturned as early as next week. The ban came after a spate of shark attacks.
Transcript
00:00 Kids could be back in the ocean as early next week.
00:04 The education department are going to be having urgent meetings with experts and other relevant
00:09 bodies to determine what risk mitigations can be put in place.
00:15 This comes after it was announced that aerial shark patrols will be commencing two weeks
00:20 early this season.
00:21 They will start this Saturday and fly every day right through into Easter.
00:27 The fixed wing aircrafts will be patrolling the beaches from North Haven in Adelaide's
00:32 northern suburbs down to Rapid Bay on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
00:36 They will also be patrolling between Victor Harbour and the Murray Mouth, some of South
00:41 Australia's most populous beaches.
00:44 So far this year there have been four shark attacks in South Australian waters.
00:49 Sadly, two of those have been fatal, both of those coming in the waters off of the Eyre
00:54 Peninsula.
00:56 The most recent shark attack was on Friday.
00:58 A 32-year-old woman was bitten on the face in waters off Port Nolunga in Adelaide's south.
01:05 Blair Boyer, the education minister here in South Australia, said that there were three
01:10 schools that were in the nearby areas of this shark attack.
01:14 A number of students actually witnessed the aftermath of this shark attack.
01:19 So that is part of the reason why the government acted swiftly in banning school kids from
01:25 the oceans as part of the school curriculum.
01:29 Charles what has been the reaction to the ban?
01:33 The reaction was quite strong, particularly from Surf Lifesaving SA.
01:37 They called it an overreach and they also said it would jeopardise students in learning
01:44 about ocean safety.
01:47 The opposition leader here in South Australia, David Spears, he really echoed those views
01:53 as well.
01:54 He said that the government was jumping at shadows.
01:58 No doubt if this ban is overturned and kids can return to the water, both Surf Lifesaving
02:04 SA and the opposition will be pleased.
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