Whitsunday Regional Council considers Airlie Beach Lagoon, Proserpine Swimming Pool lifeguarding, management contracts

Whitsunday swimmers are making a splash ahead of a council decision that could have major implications for everyone who enjoys a dip in our public pools.

A plan to award lucrative pool management contracts to an interstate firm has prompted an uprising from members of the swimming community who fear their interests will be forgotten in favour of “cutting corners”.

The Whitsunday Swimming Club has urged Whitsunday Regional Council to reconsider awarding Lifeguarding Services Pty Ltd contracts for lifeguarding and water maintenance at Airlie Beach Lagoon and management of Proserpine Swimming Pool, based on concerns the NSW-based company could prioritise profits over community benefit.

Club president Darren Attwood made an impassioned plea to councillors at their September 22 meeting to take another look at the tender process and consider a locally-based organisation for the jobs.

Mr Attwood said an interstate firm could not adequately facilitate tenders for “community-based” pools and lagoons, warning of potential “mismanagement” and understaffing problems “if it’s run from Sydney”.

“When we put the community at stake, we have to look at the community first,” Mr Attwood said.

“Big corporations are not managing from the pool deck. We need that management in the community.”

A father and son drowned at Airlie Beach Lagoon in October 2018.

Mr Attwood said mismanagement of the region’s public pools not only had major implications for the future of swimming clubs but put community safety at risk – highlighting “two unfortunate incidents” at the Lagoon and declining numbers of young swimmers in the pool at Proserpine.

“We’ve seen previous [contractors] cutting corners where we could see it left, right and centre,” he said.

“It affects the swimming club as a whole, as well as learn to swim and school swimming, and we’re losing our foundation swimmers in this process.

“If we lose kids swimming, we might as well close these pools and it’s heading in that direction.”

After the statements, councillors voted to defer the decision on the contracts, which were set to expire on September 30, and ask for an extension to caretaker contracts.

Proserpine’s olympic-sized swimming pool is home to the Whitsunday Swimming Club and also hosts swimming lessons for Proserpine State High School.

Cr Gary Simpson said he had “different opinions” about the contracts after hearing from Mr Attwood, and “a whole lot more discussion” was needed before making a decision.

“There’s more to it than just crunching the numbers and saying this is cheapest tender,” he said.

“I feel for these guys, the kids, the clubs – if we can’t support them, why have the pool there?”

Deputy Mayor Mike Brunker said allowing a “franchisee cookie cutter type” corporate model “take over” local pools was “not in the best interest of local swimmers”.

“I believe in the traditional model where the local guy in the town runs the pool, he’s contactable, and if he’s not any good and it goes pear-shaped he doesn’t get the next contract.

“When you start looking outside of that – it’s a recipe for disaster.

“Once the old corporates get on it and know there's a quid in it, in future we might not be able to afford to run our pools.”

The council received submissions from seven organisations when the three separate tenders went out in August.

They included firms from Cairns, Brisbane, Rockhampton as well as locally-based companies The Pittard Rush Group and Grimsey‘s Aquatics.

Lifeguarding Services Australia was the only applicant to apply for all three contracts, offering a discounted rate that council officers considered the best option overall.

Cannon Valley's Luca Weeks, 5, and Saxon Weeks, 9 enjoying a dip at Proserpine pool in February 2019. The pool complex includes a water park popular with families.

“Although Lifeguarding Services Australia Pty Ltd were not the most competitive in two of the Tenders, they provided an alternative Tender to manage all three of the contracts for a discounted all-in-one fixed monthly rate of $76,790.48 (excluding GST), which is a saving of approximately $656,000.00 (excluding GST) over the duration of the contract period (including the two x 12 month extensions at council’s discretion),” Community Development and Libraries Manager Rod Cousins’ report stated.

“If council were to accept this alternative and saving, this would be the most result in the most competitive rate overall for all three of the tenders.”

Mr Cousins’ report recommended awarding Lifeguarding Services Australia the three contracts for the amount of $1,842,972.52 (excluding GST) for the contract period of two years and $1,842,972.52 (excluding GST) for two x 12 month extensions at the council’s discretion.

The matter will lie on the table “pending further discussions”.