Tom Elliott has expressed concern about the rate of people drowning in Australian waters.

“What has changed? When I was young, I didn’t know anybody who couldn’t swim,” the 3AW Drive host said on Monday.

“Something has changed.”

Joanne Love, Learn To Swim Victoria Director, said there was no doubt an increasing number of children couldn’t swim.

A lack of appropriately trained teachers and financial costs are being blamed.

Tom Elliott said those issues must be addressed, no matter the cost, if Australia wanted the rate of drownings to drop.

He said weekly swimming lessons should be compulsory for all children over five during the school term.

He said the children also needed to be taken to a surf beach and learn how to swim under waves and how to exit a rip.

“It’ll be expensive and people will say we don’t have time and we can’t afford it, but we have to afford it if we don’t want people drowning,” Tom said.

Click PLAY below to hear Tom’s plan on 3AW