Stakeholders Still Waiting on Response from Minister
Since Monday’s media launch of an historic industry stakeholder collaboration campaign for mandatory barrier inspection legislation in Victoria, there has been no response from the Planning Minister or his department.
This silence comes on the back of a decade of lobbying by industry to be heard on this critical safety issue.
CEO of the Swimming Pool and Spa Association of Victoria (SPASA) Brendan Watkins says, “The time for talk is over. The Planning Minister continues to dither on this critical safety measure. It’s an extraordinary achievement to bring together seven diverse organisations to lobby for the same single piece of legislation. All pool-related stakeholders have joined together to demand that the Minister act now to keep our toddlers safe. There’s no doubt that communities are enhanced by the enormous social capital provided by backyard pools, but we must ensure the barriers are maintained. The safest and most obvious way forward here is clearly Mandatory Barrier Inspections.”
Multiple Victorian Coroners, the World Health Organisation, Lifesaving Victoria, Kidsafe, Real Estate Institute of Victoria, Victorian Municipal Building Surveyors Group, Landscaping Victoria, Royal Life Saving & SPASA all endorse Mandatory Barrier Inspections.
This first-ever collaborative approach by industry, safety and building stakeholders all agree that the solution to managing safety - and preventing injury and death of Victorian toddlers around residential pools and spas - is to legislate Mandatory Barrier Inspections at sale or lease of a property, or every three years.
Key industry stakeholders continue to demand that Mandatory Barrier Inspections be legislated in Victoria immediately.
Read the Key Industry Stakeholder letter to Planning Minister Richard Wynne HERE
SPASA Victoria Media Release - Government Silent on Stakeholder Collaboration - 19 July 2017
