Pool Safety - Latest Changes to Laws

20 Oct, 2010

Pool safety laws

The Queensland Government has introduced Australia’s toughest new pool safety laws aimed at further reducing the incidences of immersion injuries of young children in swimming pools. These will affect new and existing pools. An overview of the new laws is available here.


What the pool safety laws mean for me

Under the proposed new swimming pool safety laws:

- pool safety certificates, issued by a licensed pool safety inspector, will be required when selling or leasing a property with a pool (pool safety certificates are valid for one year for a shared pool and two years for a non-shared pool)

- the pool safety standards will apply to all pools associated with houses, units, hotels, motels, backpacker hostels, caravan parks, mobile van parks and other forms of short-term accommodation

- both new and existing pools must be upgraded to comply with the new safety standards within 5 years unless sold or leased first

- all swimming pools will need to be included on the pool register, managed by the state, within 6 months of the commencement of the legislation 

- safety barriers will be mandatory for all portable pools and spas deeper than 300 millimetres.


Pool register

All properties with regulated pools need to be included in the state-managed pool register within six months of the commencement of the legislation. The register is expected to be available from December 2010. Initially Local Governments will include details of pools on the register. Pool owners will need to check the register within six months after the laws start to ensure their pool is registered.



Pool safety inspection system

Pool safety certificates will be required when selling or leasing a property with a pool. Pool safety certificates must be obtained from a licensed pool safety inspector. Information for pool owners, pool safety inspectors and pool safety inspector course providers is available here.



Pool fences and safety barriers

Maintenance of pool fences and safety barriers is essential to reduce the number of immersion injuries and drownings of young children in swimming pools. Pool owners are responsible for ensuring pool barriers are maintained and damaged fencing or barriers are fixed immediately. Considerations that pool owners need to be aware of are available here.



Requirements for CPR and warning signs

New pool safety laws require the latest cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) sign to be displayed near your pool. Ensure your pool complies with the latest CPR sign requirements and more.



Information for Local Governments

To promote consistency of pool safety standards, local law making powers and existing Local Government pool safety laws are affected by the new pool safety legislation. When the laws commence they will replace all existing Local Government local laws, and all exemptions (apart from disability exemptions) will be abolished. Information for Local Governments is available here.



Child safety and pools

Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children under five years of age. All swimming pool drownings are preventable. Find out how to improve your swimming pool safety.


Source: Queensland Government Department of Infrastructure and Planning. www.dip.qld.gov.au

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Throwing Out The Welcome Mat

20 Oct, 2010

WHEN it comes to a growth in population it is all about making sure we welcome new residents into the community with open arms.

According to Regional Social Development Centre (RSDC) president Shane Hopkinson the growth in population was changing the dynamic of Mackay.

He said as the population continued to grow there would be impacts on infrastructure, housing and roads, but from a social perspective we must also ensure those arriving in Mackay were made feel welcome in the community.

“How are they going to educate their children, find a home and how are we going to make them feel welcome,” he said.

Mr Hopkinson said Mackay had a small town feel, however in recent years it had become larger and there needed to be better ways of communication between locals and the people who have moved to the region.

“Say a worker moves to Mackay with his wife and children to work out at the mines,” Mr Hopkinson said.

“How do we stop the wife from being isolated and stuck at home – what social networks are out there for her to meet people?

“We need to address these types of issues.”

He said the RSDC had two projects to help integrate new members to the community.

The first was the volunteer hub and the second was a Welcome Centre in Mackay which was only at the business plan stage.

“The volunteer hub gets people into the community and breaks down the isolation for a new person in town,” he said.

The Welcome Centre would be targeted at migrants, but it could also be utilised by those who have moved from interstate.

It would be designed to be give new residents the opportunity to learn all they needed to know about Mackay and how to set up their lives and become active members of the community.

“Sometimes it is the little things, like knowing that you have to pay a bond when establishing your electricity,” he said.

“It is these types of things that make people really feel a part of this place.”

Another initiative the RSDC is working on is their arts development project which aims to build a creative atmosphere in the city for those whose interests lie in the cultural aspects of the community.

“It is about a happy atmosphere in the town for everyone,” he said.

“We have a stadium being built for sport.

“But we also have to look into art, foreign films – think about a broad range of things.

“We have to look at ‘who are these 6000 people and how do we keep them here'.

“We all have social bonds within our own circle, and when you move to a new place you want to plug into the circle.

“It is easy to forget how difficult moving to a new town can be.”

Whitsunday Anglican School director of admissions Mike Partridge said the school's enquiry rates have gradually increased in the last four years.

“We have had a significant number of people moving from interstate looking – which has definitely had an impact.”

He said they have been quite full in certain year levels and said that many schools across the district were finding that to be the case as well.

“We are currently investigating how we will accommodate growth – we may expand the number of students (at the school),” he said.

Source: www.dailymercury.com.au

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Mackay Population Now 116,123

20 Oct, 2010

Before moving to Mackay from Karratha in Western Australia Peita Collinson lived in a caravan with her husband Ray and two children Katika, 11 and Sam, 9.

They now live in a house with internal plumbing, living room and swimming pool.

The Collinsons are just four of the 6,000 people who have arrived in Mackay over the past two years as our population continues to grow.

According to Population Growth Highlights and Trends Queensland 2010, released by Treasury's Office of Economic and Statistical Research, Mackay's population grew by 2.8 per cent per year over the two years to 2008-09, exceeding the state average.

The research found that the population growth in eastern regional Queensland, where Mackay is one of the four largest local government areas, was influenced by the demand of the resource industry.

Mackay has benefited despite its distance from the resource industry operations, with higher growth compared to inland centres.

Member for Mackay Tim Mulherin said Mackay was fast becoming a destination of choice for new Queenslanders, accounting for 8.8 per cent of the state's total growth outside south-east Queensland.

“A region well-known for its ties to agriculture, mining and tourism, Mackay is expected to continue its strong population growth in coming years as the Queensland economy continues to recover,” Mr Mulherin said.

“On average, the population of Mackay grew by more than 3,400 people each year over the five years to 2009.”

The Whitsunday region saw 958 people move to the area, a 2.9 per cent increase, while the Isaac region saw 410 people move, a 1.9 per cent increase.

Mackay is the fourth largest local government area outside south-east Queensland, with a population of 116,100 at June 2009.

Ms Collinson said the family had been living in Karratha for two years and chose Mackay because of its location.

“It is close to the coast, the climate is great, it is not too far from Brisbane and it's a great place to raise a family,” she said.

Mrs Collinson said her husband Ray still worked at the mines in Karratha and hoped to get a job in the mining industry in the Bowen Basin.

“It was an easy transition; I think it was easy for me as I had the children and the school as a social network,” Mrs Collinson said.

“However finding a house to rent was difficult.”

Regional Social Development Centre (RSDC) president Shane Hopkinson said when it came to new people moving to a city like Mackay it was important that people were welcomed and given information to help them settle into the community.

Mackay Regional Council Mayor Col Meng said council has been considering the increase in population for the next 20 years when it came to city development.

“We have estimated that by 2025 there will be 200,000 people living in Mackay,” Cr Meng said.

“We might be struggling with expansions, whether it is industry, land or housing.

“It is better being on the side of growth than on the other side.

“Where there is growth there are always plenty of jobs”.

A Main Roads spokesperson said the recent Urban Congestion Study made allowances for population growth in the Mackay area.

“The department anticipates that population growth in the Mackay area will have a significant impact on traffic numbers, with cross-river movements (Edmund Casey Bridge, Ron Camm Bridge and Forgan Bridge) anticipated to grow from 80,000 to 120,000 vehicles per day.”

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