Page 4663 - Week 15 - Thursday, 21 November 1991
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Backyard Swimming Pools
MR DUBY: My question is directed to Mr Connolly in his capacity as Minister for Urban Services. Bearing in mind that, of almost 30 children under five who drowned in New South Wales last year, nine drowned in backyard pools, and that almost invariably those pools were unfenced, that, for every child who drowns, another four suffer serious and recurring medical problems, including brain damage, and given the fact that the ACT has some 10,000 backyard pools in a population approximating one-tenth of that of New South Wales, do you agree that statistically it is almost certain that at least one child will drown in the ACT in the coming season and that others may well be severely injured? Do you or your Government propose to do something about these tragic statistics and introduce legislation to enforce the proper fencing of backyard pools, as recommended by all experts in this area, including, of course, the national Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Australia?
MR CONNOLLY: I thank Mr Duby for his question. It is, indeed, a serious question. He raises a statistical likelihood that we all hope will not occur. This is not the sort of thing to play politics about; we will not mention weirs and the rest of it. New South Wales a year ago, or maybe a bit over a year ago now, introduced legislation to make compulsory the fencing of existing swimming pools. That legislation has caused a fair degree of agitation and consternation in New South Wales and problems with councils and is now under review, I understand, in that State. It was the only State that went that far.
In the ACT Mr Duby was, I think, personally responsible for this matter. Amendments to the building Act or the building regulations - I think you did it by regulation - required the fencing of new pools. So, that is the law in the ACT, by way of regulation, as it is in the entire rest of Australia - certainly the majority of States.
Legislative intervention to require the fencing of existing in-ground pools has proved to be fairly unsuccessful in New South Wales. We are very actively monitoring what is happening in New South Wales, where they seem to be retreating. I would personally favour a national uniform approach to this and I am taking steps to encourage that. The ACT Labor Government at the moment has no intention of replicating the New South Wales legislation while it is itself being reviewed and there is a likelihood of New South Wales moving back from that position, until such time as all States and Territories can agree on a national approach.
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