Roseville Tennis Club in court for breach of Covid-19 public health orders

The president of a lawn tennis club on Sydney’s north shore has spoken of her shock after the club was hit with a whopping fine for breaking Covid regulations.

The president of a north shore tennis club says she was “gobsmacked” after the club copped a four-figure fine for breaching the state’s Covid public health orders.

Roseville Lawns Tennis Club has been fined $3000 in the NSW Local Court after Liquor and Gaming NSW inspectors paid a compliance visit to the club on October 27 last year.

The club, which pleaded guilty to one count of not complying with the noticed COVID-19 directions under the public health act, was found not to have an adequate Covid-19 safety plan in place and did not have a Covid safe hygiene marshal on the premises at the time of the visit.

The court heard that when inspectors arrived they saw eight players playing on two courts at the front of the clubhouse and when they entered the building signatures on a manual visitor sign-in register were “often illegible”, missing relevant contact details and the majority did not have a time-in recorded.

Roseville Lawn Tennis Club president Jacinta Howden.

The club has been part of the community for more than 40 years.

The inspectors spoke to club president Jacinta Howden who according to a fact sheet tendered to the court said she was “unaware that the records had to be digitised and was not familiar with the need for a Covid-19 marshal during peak times.”

Liquor and Gaming NSW said the Covid-19 safe hygiene marshal was required at the premises during peak times or from 12pm to 3pm each day in line with the public health orders.

The facts stated that Ms Howden told inspectors she was not aware the club was required to hold two separate safety plans for the clubhouse – which includes a bar area – and the club’s main tennis courts.

In November, Liquor and Gaming NSW issued the club a $5000 fine but the club requested a review of the infringement notice. A court attended notice was then issued by Revenue NSW after the review was unsuccessful.

In the Downing Centre Court on Wednesday Magistrate Michael Crompton noted the maximum fine for the offence was $11,000 but found the club’s offending was at the lower end of objective seriousness.

Speaking outside court, club president Jacinta Howden told the North Shore Times the club took the health and safety of its patrons seriously but described the fine as “excessive”.

“We’re a very small volunteer-run club and $5000 is going to take us a long time to reach,” she said.

The club was sentenced in the Downing Centre Court.

“It’s not like we’re an RSL club or something where we have hundreds of people coming in and out – we don’t serve food and we didn’t have the bar open.

“We did have a safety plan for the sporting grounds, but not one for the bar because the bar was closed at the time and we didn’t know we’d need a Covid marshal.

“The only signatures (on the sign in register) that weren’t eligible were our older members who are all in their 80s – we know who they all are.

“We take the health protocols seriously – we had hand sanitiser, we had a sign-in sheet and we couldn’t believe we got the same fine as Lunar Park – we were just gobsmacked.”

The fine also drew involvement from the Federal Member for Bradfield Paul Fletcher who contacted NSW finance Minister Victor Dominello in May this year seeking advice in relation to the fine.

In a letter seen by the North Shore Times, Mr Fletcher said the club was a “valuable volunteer run organisation” and the “club had raised concerns regarding the penalty notice and seeking in to have it waived.”

In sentencing, Magistrate Compton noted the club did not have any prior convictions in NSW.

He issued the club a $3000 fine and ordered it to pay $2500 in legal costs.