Having lived in the Clarence Valley for over 35 years and reckon I'm almost a local (but true-blue locals keep moving the goal posts and are now saying you have to be here 40+ years to qualify although they said 10 years ago it was 30+ years) I'm thrilled to bits that Clarence Valley Council is at long last going to do something about back yard pool safety.
We installed a pool 28 years ago and we're still waiting for Council to come and give it its final inspection to say all is AOK with its fence, gate and other safety features.
In a media release titled Pools and fences failing to pass safety guidelines
Clarence Valley Council says it has commenced inspection of swimming pools and fences to ensure compliance under the Swimming Pools Act and Australian Standards.
Mayor Richie Williamson said, “In the first round of inspections, Council officers have been disappointed at the extremely large failure rate, with 9 out of 11 swimming pools and fences failing to pass safety guidelines. This is of great concern, especially as statistics show half of the children under the age of five that drown, do so in private swimming pools or spas.” (www.safewaters.nsw.gov.au)
The majority of failures have involved climbing points too close to the fence and unsatisfactory latching mechanisms.
Council staff will be continuing random inspections throughout the Valley, and will be taking strict action, including on the spot fines if major defects are discovered or pools are unfenced.
It is recommended that owners of pools check their fences and gates to ensure they are working correctly.
A pool safety checklist is available from Council’s offices in Grafton and Maclean, or can be downloaded from the Dept of Local Government website www.dlg.nsw.gov.au – backyard swimming pools.
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