South Australian college fined over student's school camp death

A South Australian college has been fined more than $400,000 for its role in the drowning death of a 16-year-old student. The ruling will no doubt motivate many schools to review their policies and procedures around school excursions and duty of care.

Adelaide teenager Ahmad Alfarhan, 16, was part of a Pinnacle College school camp group of seven students and two teachers when he joined his friends to go fishing.

But before he stepped onto the steep, algae-covered rocky outcrop at Yorke Peninsula’s Brown’s Beach – the site of drownings in both 2019 and 2020 – the boy was not given a life jacket, and non-slip shoes were not considered necessary.

In the South Australian Employment Tribunal (SAET) this week, the school pleaded guilty for breaches of the Work Health and Safety Act. The judgement was published on 13 July.

SAET Deputy President Judge Miles Crawley said the students were rock fishing when one lost his balance, slipped and fell into the water.

“Ahmad and another student either slipped or jumped into the sea in an effort to rescue him,” Judge Crawley wrote. “Two of the boys were able to self-rescue. Ahmad was lost.”

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The 16-year-old’s body was recovered the next day.

Emergency services at the scene on Saturday.

Drowning death led to review of excursion policy

The judge accepted the school’s “real and deep” contrition and imposed a $420,000 fine, which was discounted from $700,000 because of the early guilty plea.

The school’s commitment to create a new, improved excursion policy was also noted.

South Australian college fined over student’s school camp death

Drowning death led to review of excursion policy

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