Victorians urged to register pools and spas with local council or face hefty fines
Many Victorian homeowners with pools and spas have failed to take action to avoid a big penalty, with the deadline to do so just weeks away. And a mayor says scammers are making things even harder.
South East
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Time is running out for Victorians to register their pools and spas with their local council, with thousands of families at risk of hefty fines.
Homeowners will be slugged $1652 if they miss the June 1 deadline to register.
In the past 20 years, 27 children have drowned in Victorian backyard pools and spas.
The maximum fee to register pools and spas with a local council is $31.84, with a cost of $47.24 for councils to look up the pool’s construction date.
After registering, owners will then also have to get a certificate regarding the safety of their pool barrier within one to three years, depending on the age of the pool. It will then have to be officially rechecked every four years.
Balwyn pool owner, Simone Matlock, said it was important home pools were compliant and registered.
“From a safety point of view, especially for young children, it’s important that pools are compliant,” Ms Matlock said.
“I just hope that the local councils don’t use this as a money making grab for families that miss out on the date.”
Mornington Peninsiula Shire, which has an estimated 17,000 pools and spas, has had only 1600 registered — less than 10 per cent.
The shire, which has the most pools in Victoria, was worried it would not be able to afford the extra cost of creating the register, carrying out the mandatory inspections and enforcing breaches.
A council report revealed it would cost $2 million to create the register and $360,000 a year to manage the certification system.
The council asked the state government to raise the proposed initial registration fee of $31.84 to $100. The fee was eventually set at $79.80.
Greater Dandenong Council has about 1400 known properties with swimming pools, but only 88 registration applications have been received to date.
The council’s city planning, design and amenity director Jody Bosman said a letter had been sent this week, reminding all property owners with pools to register before the deadline.
Less than half of the 3500 pool owners in Monash have registered.
Meanwhile, at Frankston Council, scammers are on the prowl with Mayor Sandra Mayer saying residents had been contacted by private pool and spa safety companies falsely claiming to represent the council.
“Although State Government regulations require homeowners to register their pools and spas with council by June 1 this year, council is not affiliated with any private building inspectors or surveyors,” Cr Mayer said.
Adam Brown, from Richmond, who is in the process of registering his spa with Yarra Council, said the move saved lives.
“We’ve got three small children and I think aside from doing what is asked of us from a regulatory point of view, the safety of my children is paramount,” Mr Brown said.
He urged councils to inform residents about the deadline.
“We received a notification a long time ago to register, but there was no follow-up recently … a bit more communication would’ve been good, as I’m sure there will be people that miss the deadline,” Mr Brown said.
Law firm Maurice Blackburn, which has represented several families who have experienced a death or injury of a family member in pool-related incidents, also urged homeowners to take laws seriously.
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Principal lawyer Dimi Ioannou said the new laws could “literally save a child’s life”.
“Too many families have lived through the heartbreak of losing a child in a drowning tragedy,” Ms Ioannou said.
“We’re also reminding everyone that safety barriers must be inspected every four years under the state’s new pool and spa safety laws.”