The review comes after a lifesaver, who is a dual member of two surf clubs, was accused of raping of a 21-year-old woman at a Gold Coast club house in September last year. The man was stood down from competition and patrols and his SLSQ membership was suspended in February while the case is before the courts.

SLSQ on Tuesday night told members the “Safe and Respectful Environments Independent Review” was a chance for allegations from members and athletes to be heard, with a confidential survey by an independent consulting firm already underway.

The SLSQ move comes as Swimming Australia on Tuesday also established a panel to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct and mistreatment in elite swimming ranks.

The sport has been plunged into crisis over the past week after two-time Olympic silver medallist Maddie Groves pulled out of the Australian Olympic trials and said there were “misogynistic perverts” in the sport.

Former elite swimmer and academic at the University of Tasmania, Dr Jenny McMahon, said her research found there was a “toxic culture” in the sport causing current and former swimmers to suffer anxiety, depression and substance abuse.

The surf lifesaving and swimming allegations also come after Australian gymnastics athletes detailed cases of abuse and bullying in an independent review into that sport.

Just one month ago, the Australian Human Rights Commission released its report into Australian gymnastics that showed the sport failed to protect gymnasts – mostly young girls – from physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.

SLSQ said its independent review aimed to “to ensure safe and respectful practices are in place in the prevention and handling of issues including bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, sexual assault, discrimination and child safety.”

The letter to members from SLSQ President Mark Fife and CEO Dave Whimpey said the sweeping review of all 57 clubs would take months and the organisation was committed to implementing changes.

It comes after a series of shocking reports that have rocked the organisation, that includes members from elite surf sport athletes through to volunteer lifesavers who patrol beaches during summer, including the alleged clubhouse rape on the Gold Coast.

Other alleged incidents include illegal footage being taken inside club locker rooms and an alleged sex tape involving a 15-year-old girl and another minor.

A further dossier of alleged incidents sent by a whistleblower to the SLSQ board includes claims of lifesavers being drunk on duty, claims of sexual harassment and staff kickbacks.

The letter to members said the review has already started and will focus on the experiences of current and past members.

The Lifesaving report’s recommendations will be handed down later this year.

The review aimed to “to ensure safe and respectful practices are in place in the prevention and handling of issues including bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, sexual assault, discrimination and child safety,” it said.

Whimpey said the review was long overdue.

“This independent review is very much about lifesaving not looking at lifesaving, it’s an external organisation looking into and talking to members about the very culture we are talking about,” Whimpey said.

“I can’t talk about the past…but what I can say is that we’ve worked very diligently over the last couple of years with this new board in modernising our organisation.”

Whimpey told ABC Gold Coast said the review would cover 58 clubs, 34,000 volunteers and 467,000 affiliate members – involving 9 per cent of the Queensland population.

“We produce about 1.4 million hours across this great state of volunteering. Statistically we would say that we don’t necessarily have a problem,” he said.

However, he said the organisation aimed to have “zero tolerance and call this behaviour out.”

Whimpey aid the review would investigate high-profile allegations of rape and sexual abuse, as well poor behaviours at all levels of the organisation and why members may not have reported them.