Developments in NSW Adventure Activity Standards

Following a series of information forums and specific stakeholder engagements draft NSW Adventure Activity Standards (AAS) documents have been received by the outdoor recreation community and other key stakeholders.
Managed by the Outdoor Recreation Industry Council (ORIC), the draft AAS is a result of work undertaken by the NSW AAS Steering Committee and Technical Working Groups, with over 60 individuals making themselves available and volunteering their time and expertise to the project.
The Steering Committee is comprised of an appropriate diversity of key stakeholders while activity specific Technical Working Groups (TWG) represent relevant industry expertise.
Individuals representing major sectors in the outdoor recreation community are represented on the Committees including commercial operators, schools, not-for-profit organisations, training providers, land managers, government departments, clubs and community based groups.
Among input received during the development of the draft AAS, Australian Canoeing has proposed that the NSW AAS for Canoe & Kayak is replaced with the Australian Canoeing Safety Guidelines. While the Steering Committee has discussed this proposal, no clear consensus has been reached at this stage with the Canoe & Kayak Technical Working Group set to examine the proposal at its next meeting.
The need for Adventure Activity Standards was highlighted by an Outdoor Recreation Forum as far back as 2001 and the National Standing Committee on Recreation and Sport (SCORS) in 2002.
The general public, insurance companies and various government agencies have progressively called upon the outdoor adventure industry to detail its operating standards for purposes of accountability, risk management and consistency. The NSW AAS will assist in developing a benchmark for the outdoor adventure industry and affiliated industry sectors.
Victoria, through the Outdoor Recreation Centre, took the initiative in 2003 and developed AAS to assist organisations conducting outdoor recreation activities for dependent groups. Victoriaâs AAS were designed as guidelines to promote safety for participants and providers through the provision of benchmark minimum standards in areas of planning, leader requirements, equipment and environmental issues for those undertaking adventurous or outdoor recreation activities.
In 2004, the Federal Sport and Recreation Ministersâ Council endorsed a proposal for each State and Territory to institute its own variation of the AAS. The Victorian version of the AAS has since been modified and adopted by Tasmania (Sport & Recreation Tasmania), South Australia (Recreation SA). Western Australia (Outdoors WA) has released WA AAS within a broader Industry Quality Framework. In Queensland, the state peak body, QORF (Queensland Outdoor Recreation Federation), has recently been commissioned by the Department of Sport and Recreation to produce Queenslandâs Adventure Activity Standards, having just completed the consultation phase of the final draft documents.
In NSW, the NSW Governmentâs State Plan of November 2006 recognised the need to develop the skills and knowledge to enable compliance with safety standards, and encourage development of responsible environmental, cultural, and corporate management in the outdoor recreation industry.
The draft NSW Adventure Activity Standards can be downloaded at

http://www.oric.org.au/AAS-NSW/Downloads.html