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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 7 Hansard (24 June) . . Page.. 1961 ..

MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Corbell is raising a point of order.

Mr Corbell: Mr Speaker, I was not interested in what the bureau did in terms of monitoring; I wanted to know whether or not there was an adequate number of lifeguards at the pools at all times. Yes or no?

MR SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

Mr Corbell: He is not answering the question.

MR STEFANIAK: That is not a point of order. If Mr Corbell would like to shut up and stop trying to take points of order, I will get to that part. As I said, Mr Corbell, all pools will be subjected to six-monthly formal reviews. Those include such issues as staffing rosters and qualifications, adherence to established safety standards, financial performance, response to customer complaints and attendance statistics. Mr Corbell, the bureau has actually gone out and had a look at these pools. I am advised that, when they did that, they were quite satisfied with the way things were proceeding. For your information, Mr Corbell, there will be another review. There will be a review in July 1997 in relation to those very issues.

MR WOOD: Mr Speaker, my question to Mr Stefaniak is about the Tuggeranong pool. I refer the Minister to the dispute between Ms Fereday, who was operating as a private swimming instructor at the Tuggeranong pool - a common procedure in pools, in the past at least - and Leisure Australia. Minister, it has been reported that the manager of the Tuggeranong pool had defended Leisure Australia's position of excluding Ms Fereday from the centre because Leisure Australia is the sole supplier of the facility and it was within its contract - its Stefaniak-given right - to do so. Minister, will you table a copy of that contract to which the manager referred? Secondly, if this is the case, what are the repercussions for organisations, such as the Royal Life Saving Society, that wish to run learn-to-swim classes at the centre - they do this all over the town - and will be in competition with Leisure Australia? Does Leisure Australia have a Stefaniak-given right to exclude them also, and what would you do if that happened?

MR STEFANIAK: In terms of tabling contracts, I will do whatever is proper there, Mr Wood. If it is proper to do that, I will. If there are problems with that, I will not. I will take that on board to see what is the situation there. In relation to Ms Fereday and in relation to such groups as Leisure Australia, Leisure Australia is running and I think is down to run - as it usually does - a number of learn-to-swim programs for the Department of Education and Training. It does that also as a non-profit organisation. I understand that that is proceeding as normal. When we give contracts to people to run pools, Mr Wood, if those groups also have learn-to-swim programs - - -

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