City of Ballarat introduces important changes for children swimming at their pools this summer

All City of Ballarat pools saw new rules introduced over the weekend surrounding the supervision of children in water.

Ballarat Aquatic & Lifestyle Centre (BALC) is reminding parents to remain vigilant when supervising their children around water, with one important change being implemented across all City of Ballarat pools this week.

As of Saturday 3rd December 2022, the following rules have been introduced:

Children aged under 5 will be required to wear a pink wristband when swimming. The children must be accompanied into the water and within arm’s reach of a parent or guardian over the age of 16 at all times.  

Children aged 5-10 will be required to wear a yellow wristband when swimming and must be constantly and actively supervised at all times. Parents and guardians must have clear, constant and direct access to their child at all times.  

The updated policy applies for any child under 10 swimming at Ballarat Aquatic and Lifestyle Centre, Eureka Outdoor Pool, Black Hill Outdoor Pool, Brown Hill Outdoor Pool and Buninyong Outdoor Pool. 

Gerald Dixon, Centre Manager at Ballarat Aquatic and Lifestyle Centre says the changes are important to ensure that City of Ballarat’s facilities are leading the way in water safety. 

Dixon notes “our lifeguards are responsible for supervising up to 100 swimmers at any one time. If a child gets hurt, a parent or guardian within close proximity can act on the incident immediately, preventing further complications.

“We are asking for the cooperation of parents and guardians in keeping their children safe in and around the water by following this policy at all times.” 

City of Ballarat Deputy Mayor, Amy Johnson, said it was important for all parents to be aware of the new rules and to follow them accordingly.

“We all know how much children love the water, there's nothing better than visiting the pool on a hot summer's day. But we must always keep in mind how quickly things can go wrong.

“That’s why it is so important, for the safety of our kids, that they're carefully supervised by a parent or guardian while in the water and that we all commit to following these new rules”.