The Royal Life Saving has released a new report that assesses the condition of the Australian aquatic facility infrastructure. It found that a lot of money is needed to improve it.
The State of Aquatic Facility Infrastructures in Australia was found to:
- In 1968, the average Australian public pool was constructed.
- By 2030, 500 public pools (40 percent) will have reached the end of their functional life span.
- $8 billion is required to replace 500 of the aging public swimming pools.
- To replace facilities that have reached the end of their useful life by 2035, another $3 billion is required.
- The majority of aging public pools serve regional areas at the moment, and are therefore less likely to be able to replace them when they expire.
Other findings include:
- Local government funding currently funds 64 percent of all new or renewal aquatic facility constructions.
- 77% of the regional aquatic facilities are owned by the public.
- 79% of the aquatic facilities in areas with the lowest SEIFA decile belong to the public.
- 74% of the aquatic facilities in areas with high SEIFA deciles are privately owned.
- Many regional councils have difficulty affording to maintain or replace their swimming pools. Increasingly, they are considering closing them.
- Closing community pool is very unpopular. It can be a source of tension in communities and encourages participation in the political process.
It is important to take deliberate and thoughtful action in order to plan for Australia’s future aquatic infrastructure needs. This report highlights key options to consider, including:
- Collaboration with the private sector to offer services beyond learn how to swim.
- Explore how schools could build and share their swimming pools.
- Encourage and facilitate greater cooperation among councils
- It is possible to explore how associations and sports clubs might be able to use aquatic facilities.
Royal Life Saving will attempt to bring together the aqua sector and the government to better understand the situation and to explore new options and opportunities to continue providing publicly accessible aquatic facilities throughout Australia.
SPLASH! first published the article $8 billion required to replace 500 public swimming pools by 2030 Magazine.
