BACKYARD swimming pools will have to undergo safety and compliance checks every two years and whenever a property is placed on the market under changes to the Swimming Pool Act proposed by the state government.
Local Government minister Don Page said the new laws were in response to the deaths of six children in backyard pools last year where the pools didn’t have gates or fences.
He has released a discussion paper on a range of proposed measures, including a mandatory register of all swimming pools in NSW, mandatory inspections every two years and when a home is leased or sold.
The discussion paper and a questionnaire has been sent to all NSW councils for comment by Friday, February 24.
An online register of the state’s more than 340,000 swimming pools would be maintained by the local government division of the Premier’s Department, and council rangers would conduct safety inspections.
Failure to register a pool could lead to a home owner being fined up to $2200.
Royal Life Saving Society NSW president David Macallister said the proposals were a step in the right direction but councils could struggle to pay for the cost of mandatory inspections.
Currently there are no ongoing checks on backyard pool safety.
Is enough being done to ensure pool safety?
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