More than 400 swimming schools around the country will provide free swimming lessons to young children for a week, with the aim of reducing the rate of drownings.
Now in its fourth year, Learn2Swim week will run until the 9th of October.
"Swimming lessons are really important under the age of five, the earlier you start, the more respect you have for the water and the easier it is to get them to reinforce simple water safety skills," swimming instructor, Bernadette Rothwell told SBS News.
Two-hundred-and-forty-nine people drowned in Australian waterways in the year to 30th June 2018 representing an 11 per cent reduction on the ten-year average.