Coffs Harbour’s beaches are among the most dangerous in NSW. Strong rips, powerful swell, and shifting sandbanks create unpredictable hazards. High tourist numbers and a large migrant population increase the risk.

Coffs Harbour City Council is considering contracting out this frontline emergency lifeguard service to a private provider. While they may propose transferring our current lifeguards at first, experience from other councils shows this model may erode pay, conditions, and job security. That instability has potential to increase turnover and contribute to the loss of long-serving, highly skilled lifeguards who keep our beaches safe.

The risks of outsourcing:

• Public safety accountability weakened – Council lifeguards are directly accountable to the community through Council, which holds both the responsibility and legal liability for beach safety. 
• Loss of emergency integration – Our lifeguards are embedded in Coffs’ Local Emergency Management framework, working directly with police, ambulance, volunteer surf lifesavers for fast, coordinated responses.
• Erosion of workforce stability – Experience from other councils shows pay and conditions drop under contractor agreements, pushing permanent lifeguards into insecure casual work and driving turnover.
• Increased risk for vulnerable beach users – Tourists, children, and people new to Australia are more at risk on high‑energy coastlines like ours without a stable, locally embedded lifeguard team.

Council’s own Lifeguard Service Strategic Plan 2019–2024 clearly states that the in‑house model is the best‑practice approach for beach safety in Coffs Harbour. It identifies the council‑run service as delivering the greatest control, risk management, and flexibility, all essential to keeping our beaches safe. The Plan also confirms that Council remains responsible and legally liable for public safety on our beaches, regardless of who delivers the service.

What makes Coffs lifeguards unique:

• Targeted safety education – Ocean safety with schools and multicultural surf awareness days for newcomers.
• Remote Rescue Tube Program – Locally developed, placing life‑saving equipment on unpatrolled beaches.
• Mobi‑Mat Beach Access – Enabling safe beach access for people with mobility challenges.

This is more than a job issue, it’s a public safety issue. Coffs’ in‑house lifeguard service is tailored to our unique risks and recognised as a model of best practice by the Council’s own plan. Replacing it with a contractor ignores the evidence and puts our safety at risk.

Sign now to tell Coffs Harbour City Council: keep our lifeguards in‑house. Public safety is not for sale. 

Want to do more? Please consider writing to the Coffs Harbour City Councillors about this directly and urge them to keep the Lifeguard Service in house. Find the contact emails here.