MPBAA Media Centre

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Last Updated: 15 September 2017

A Geelong pool and spa business has made a big splash nationally!

Leisurescape Pools and Spas has been recognised for outstanding achievements in creativity, innovation and design excellence at the SPASA National Awards of Excellence in Sydney.

Managing director Jack Whitton said he and his staff were proud to receive such an honour, given the competitiveness of the industry. “It’s nice to be recognised for years of hard work and passion in this industry,” he said. “This annual SPASA celebration of excellence is a result of months of tireless work by Leisurescape Pools and Spas, who constantly strive to set new pool and spa industry benchmarks. In this year’s judging, Leisurescape collected the National Award of Excellence in best pre-engineered spa, reflecting our company’s commitment to quality and service.”

Demand for swimming pools and spas across the Greater Geelong region has reportedly increased, despite tough laws introduced by the state and federal governments. “It’s getting busier and busier all the time - despite economic times looking glum,” Leisurescape’s executive manager Liz Whitton said. “Australians are all about leisure.”

Geelong resident Duncan Oliver decided to buy a swim spa last year.He said that while the costs of maintaining it were high, he had no regrets. “The kids love it and it’s great for teaching them to swim,” he said.“It took a while to set the money for it aside, but it’s a great addition to the home.”

'Local Pool of Talent' - Geelong Advertiser, Geelong - 15 Sep 2017

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Last Updated: 30 August 2017

While swimming is most often associated with Summer, it's a physical activity that anyone can participate in at any time of the year.
 
Of course when it gets hot, everyone starts looking around for the friend with the pool or swim spa. The next best bet - a local club or community pool - the cleaner and less crowded the better!

Swimming isn't just a fun way to cool off during the Summer. Swimming is one of the few activities that doesn't cost a lot of money or require equipment – and it holds no age or ability barrier.

CEO of the Swimming Pool and Spa Association of Victoria (SPASA) Brendan Watkins says, “Swimming pools and spas are wonderful additions to the lifestyle of every Australian home. Exercise - and the social capital provided by a pool or spa - is immeasurable. With the current childhood obesity epidemic, the health and fitness benefits of pool and spa ownership are undeniable.”

Here’s an article featuring 25 compelling reasons to make swimming a part of your life

Here are just some of those reasons:

See SPASA’s new webpage on 'The Benefits of Pool & Spa Ownership' HERE

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Last Updated: 07 August 2017

With more than 430 industry stakeholders in attendance, the SPASA Awards of Excellence Gala night is the most anticipated event on the Victorian calendar.

A total of 40 Awards of Excellence categories made up the SPASA Awards of Excellence program, including major awards Product of the Year and Remco Pool of the Year.  

The 2017 Remco Pool of the Year was awarded to Apex Pools & Spas while Product of the Year went to Sunbather for their Commercial DownUnder + Superslave Cover System.

Hosted by popular entertainers Rusty Berther and Mike McLeish, guests were treated to songs and comedy by the duo ‘Rusty and Another Guy’. A total of 71 Gold and Highly Commended awards were presented to well deserving SPASA members.

SPASA President John D'Arcy congratulated all winners and stated, “This year’s entrants demonstrate excellence across the board and prove that SPASA members truly are leaders within the Australian industry. The calibre of entries just gets better year after year".

With sumptuous food prepared by renowned caterer Epicure and images of all award entries prominently displayed up in lights on the MCG scoreboards, a fabulous night was enjoyed by all.

The full list of award winners and photos can be seen HERE

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Last Updated: 20 July 2017

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

See SPASAs Pool & Spa Safety Campaign Website HERE

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Last Updated: 17 July 2017

Advocates Demand Regular Pool Fence Checks

14 July 2017

Hon Richard Wynne Minister for Planning
Level 16, 8 Nicholson Street
East Melbourne, VIC 3002

Dear Minister Wynne,

RE: Children drowning in home pools in Victoria and the release of the Regulatory Impact Statement - Building Regulations 2017

The Victorian Swimming Pool and Spa Safety Committee (VSPSSC) and Community Issue Based Working Group (CIBWG) was formed in 2010 to provide recommendations and strategies aimed at reducing the number of drowning deaths and injury of young children in home swimming pools.

In 2012, the CIBWG provided a ‘Summary of the Victorian Situation’ report to Government and Industry stakeholders. The CIBWG included Life Saving Victoria (LSV), Kidsafe, the Victorian Building Commission, Swimming Pool and Spa Association of Victoria (SPASA), Australian Institute of Building Surveyors, Municipal Association Victoria (MAV), Victorian Municipal Building Surveyors Group and Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV). The CIBWG now also includes the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV), Landscaping Victoria, Coroners Prevention Unit (CPU), and State Government’s Building Advisory Committee (BAC). Since 2012, the Committee and the individual organisations have made multiple submissions in an attempt to reduce the rate of childhood injury and fatality.

The charter of the VSPSSC is to address the issues in the Victorian Water Safety Strategy 2016-2020. Namely, to Reduce Drowning Deaths in Children aged 0-14 (pages 14-15):

Goal Key Objective

1a. Reduce Drowning deaths in Children Aged 0-4 i. Strengthen child drowning prevention knowledge, programs and water safety awareness campaigns that raise awareness of the importance of adult supervision, pool barriers, water familiarisation and CPR. iii. Advocate for local and state government to include mandatory home pool fence monitoring and maintenance compliance of four sided pool fencing as part of state building regulations.

The CIBWG recently reconvened post the release of the ‘Regulatory Impact Statement- Building Regulations 2017’, and determined:

The collective of subject matter experts of the home pool and spa industry unanimously agree that the solution to managing the safety - and preventing injury and death of Victorian children in and around home pools and spas - is to legislate Mandatory Barrier Inspections at sale or lease of a property, or every three years, for all residential properties in Victoria.

The empirical evidence demonstrates that Mandatory Barrier Inspections will reduce toddler fatalities. When Mandatory Barrier Inspections are legislated in Victoria, we will start to see a reduction in the rate of injury and loss of life.

1. The CIBWG is committed to the recommendation that there needs to be a mandatory certificate of compliance for home pool and spa safety barriers issued every 3 years, and prior to sale or lease of a property, conducted by independent inspectors. A self-assessment tool should be utilised by the owner or property manager on an annual basis between the mandatory inspections.

To achieve this outcome requires a compulsory pool and spa register, a single inspection tool and a management database to ensure consistency of inspections undertaken along with annual reporting. The database to be held by local councils, as is already the case for matters such as building permits, food premises, rooming houses and pet registration.

Registering a home swimming pool or spa must be compulsory and an appropriate period of time allowed to achieve compliance. Simultaneously there needs to be comprehensive communications around the requirements and consequences, to raise knowledge and awareness of pool owners. An amnesty period of 12 months should be considered once council databases have been established to record registrations and appropriate notification sent out with rate notices and reminders. Property owners should be responsible for maintaining the barrier and the occupier responsible for effective operation. These requirements must be included in the Contract of Sale and rental agreements. The requirements of the owner need to be included in the Residential Tenancies Act. The requirements of the occupier also need to be included, so that property managers/landlords will be able to issue a breach of duty notice.

Once we know the home pool and spa locations, then management of the inspection process, annual reporting and targeted education programs take effect.

Mandatory barrier inspections will require the introduction of a Swimming Pool and Spa Safety Inspectors course to reduce the reliance of undertaking inspections which is currently limited to registered, i) building surveyors and ii) building inspectors. It is proposed that a course similar to the Swimming Pool Safety Inspectors course (31005QLD) is developed and delivered in Victoria. Following the development of the course by Royal Lifesaving Society - Australia and Royal Life Saving Society Queensland, the course is now delivered and accepted in NSW and SA.

Registration and qualifications of inspectors would be subject to regulation by the Victorian Building Authority. Inspectors will issue certificates of compliance or non-compliance which will be forwarded to local councils.

The outcome of the inspection with the self-assessment tool would be attached to the record held by council. Owners would be required to lodge annual maintenance/ compliance reports with council and pay an appropriate management fee to cover council administration costs. Infringement penalties should apply for noncompliance.

2. The CIBWG is committed to the recommendation that there needs to be targeted, ongoing education for home pool owners promoting pool safety, supervision and owner responsibility for maintenance. Resources need to be developed and updated to ensure a consistent message. A targeted action plan for dissemination of resources should be developed once a database of pools has been established. Communications should be State Government-led, as they are in other drowning and health related prevention strategies. CPR signage must be made compulsory in order to reduce the consequences once an immersion incident has taken place.

3. The CIBWG is committed to the recommendation that there needs to be a notification system following a fatal or non-fatal immersion incident of a child under 5 years in a home pool or spa.

Notification to go to the following groups:

i) Local government where incident occurs to conduct a follow-up compliance inspection
ii) Department of Human Services (DHS) to follow-up any issues of child neglect.
iii) Victorian Building Authority as the Regulatory body
iv) Life Saving Victoria as the peak water safety agency in Victoria and author of the Victorian Drowning Report, to ensure accurate reporting of drowning incidents

4. The CIBWG is committed to the recommendation that data should be collected, collated and reported on pool safety compliance. The number of home pool inspections conducted and the level of compliance should be reported on an annual basis.

Currently there is a lack of accurate data collected and collated on the number of home pool inspections and the level of compliance within Victorian local government areas.

Collectively, all industry stakeholders necessitate that Mandatory Barrier Inspections be legislated in Victoria immediately.

Yours sincerely,

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Last Updated: 11 May 2021

Advocates Demand Regular Pool Fence Checks

The Swimming Pool & Spa Association of Victoria (SPASA) today led a collaboration of key stakeholders* to deliver a letter to Planning Minister Richard Wynne demanding 3-yearly Mandatory Barrier Inspections in Victoria.

SPASA CEO Brendan Watkins says, “The time for talk is over. In partnership with like-minded stakeholders, SPASA has been lobbying State Government of both persuasions for a decade now, but the sitting Minister continues to dither on this critical safety measure. Multiple reports from Victorian Councils & Shires show the average fail-rate of pool barrier compliance is 80%+. The fundamental problem in Victoria is very clearly a lack of ongoing pool barrier maintenance”.

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.

Empirical evidence demonstrates that Mandatory Barrier Inspections reduce toddler fatalities. Since 1992, Western Australia has achieved an 80% reduction in the rate of fatalities since the implementation of their Mandatory Barrier Inspection program.

Key industry stakeholders demand that Mandatory Barrier Inspections be legislated in Victoria immediately.

Watkins says, “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.”

Read the Key Industry Stakeholder letter to Planning Minister Richard Wynne HERE

SPASA Victoria Media Release - Industry First Stakeholder Collaboration on Mandatory Barrier Inspection Legislation - 17 July 2017

See SPASAs Pool & Spa Safety Campaign Website HERE

For further information please contact:

Kathryn Barres – Marketing Communications Co-ordinator, Telephone: 03 9501 2040 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For Media Comment: Brendan Watkins, CEO SPASA - 03 9501 2040

*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