By Esther Lauaki
Wyndham pool and spa owners could face hundreds of dollars in fines and thousands in repairs to replace non-compliant fences under Victoria’s tough new safety laws.
From December this year, the new laws will require that all pools and spas must be registered, with owners required to get a qualified surveyor to issue them with a certificate of compliance.
The state government introduced the stringent new scheme after numerous coronial investigations found unsafe barriers had contributed to the deaths of children in backyard pools.
The draft regulations, published online last week, show pool owners will be fined $330 if their pools/spas are not registered or properly inspected.
Wyndham city operations director Stephen Thorpe said there were 5000 pools in the municipality, but that number was expected to increase as new registrations poured in.
Mr Thorpe said non-compliant pool owners would face hefty fines.
“The state government has proposed to amend the Building Regulations 2018 with additional inspection and registry requirements, where residents need to register their pool/spa fences to be inspected by council,” he said.
“If property owners have barriers that pose a risk to lives, they may pay costs of $385 for failure to comply and will be ordered to fix the issue in a timely manner.
“Residents who do not comply with council-issued building orders may face a maximum of $8261 at court.”
Mr Thorpe said registration of a barrier cost $37 and lodgement of the compliance certificate a further $20.
Under the proposed rules, councils will take charge of the mandatory registration scheme from December, with all pool owners required to contact their councils by April 14 next
year.
Inspection certificates for all pools built before 1994 must be lodged by October 30, 2020. For pools built between 1994 and 2010, owners will have until April 30, 2021, with all pools built after 2010 needing to be certified by October 29, 2021.
Swimming Pool and Spa Association of Victoria chief Chris Samartzis welcomed the amendments.
“Backyard pool and spa owners can now relax and enjoy the fantastic lifestyle that comes with pool and spa ownership, knowing that their wonderful asset will now be safer than ever,” he said.
Have a say on the Draft Building Amendment (Swimming Pool and Spa) Regulations: bit.ly/338hb8c
– with The Age
