Malcolm Turnbull fights back tears as he describes childhood trauma
Malcolm Turnbull fought back tears as he recalled the moment his father risked his own life to save his when he was caught in rough surf at Bondi as a child.
The Prime Minister was addressing media as he revealed the Federal government will allocate an extra $3m to make Australia's beaches safer.
"It's hard to talk about this without getting a bit emotional, but I can still see my father swimming through the surf, swimming through and he got me," he recalled.
Just one month into summer, 28 people have drowned in Australia.
It may be less than last December's figure of 47, but Mr Turnbull is adamant that number needs to drop further.
The government funding will be spent on river and beach safety equipment such as rescue tubes - but there are concerns the extra finances won't go far enough.
"State and territory governments also needing to increase funding for water safety," Royal Life Saving Society's Justin Scarr said.
The extra $3m is on top of $15m already spent by the federal government over the past five years to support the 45,000 lifesaving volunteers around the country.
"All those water safety bodies that are getting money, that are getting funded by the Government, make sure you use it wisely so that every cent counts," swimming coach Laurie Lawrence said.
