With summer fast approaching, pool owners have been reminded to register their private pool or spa with their local Council before November.
Minister for Planning, Richard Wynne said new regulations were introduced in December last year to make swimming pools and spas safer and prevent young children from drowning.
“The regulations include new requirements for owners to register their swimming pools and spas with their local Council by 1 November 2020 with a one-off fee of up to $79,” Mr Wynne said.
“Failure to register within this timeframe may attract a council infringement notice of up to $330,” he said.
“Due to the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) the deadline for registration was extended by five months to acknowledge the extra pressure on families and the increased workload on Councils.”
Mr Wynne said drowning was the most common cause of preventable death for young children, and in Victoria most fatal drownings of young children occurred in backyard swimming pools.
“Since 2000, 27 children have drowned in private swimming pools and spas in Victoria,” he said.
“Investigations by the Victorian Coroner found non-compliant safety barriers were likely to have played a role in at least 20 of these cases.”
The Minister said pool owners who completed their registration would be contacted by their local Council and informed on how to organise an inspection of their pool’s safety barrier.
Further information on the pool safety reform can be accessed on the Victorian Building Authority’s (VBA) website at this PS News link.
