Gold Coast City Council managed pools move to cashless payments

As part of a move towards operating cashless services, two City of Gold Coast aquatic facilities are no longer accepting cash payments.

The council-owned and operated Gold Coast and Upper Coomera aquatic centres have joined a number of other Gold Coast facilities and services that have switched to electronic-only payments.

The move does not affect other public pools at Miami, Mudgeeraba, Nerang and Helensvale which, while owned by the city, have their management outsourced, meaning they are free to set their own terms of payment.

The pools join a number of other council facilities and services that have switched to electronic-only payments.

Cash is no longer accepted at Gold Coast waste management centres, libraries, off street parking, customer service centres and major sporting venues.

According to a council flyer, cash payments to the City of Gold Coast have steadily declined in recent years and represent less than a single per cent of total payments made.

The flyer notes "this decision will ensure the safety of our customers and staff by minimising public contact and offers better value for Gold Coast ratepayers with cash reconciliation an expensive process."

According to the Reserve Bank of Australia, businesses and other providers of goods and services can request electronic-only payments, with its website noting "it appears that a provider of goods or services is at liberty to set the commercial terms upon which payment will take place before the ‘contract’ for supply of the goods or services is entered into.

“For example, some vending machines, parking meters and road toll collection points indicate by signs that they will not accept low-denomination coins.

“Some road toll collection points indicate that they will not accept any cash at all.”

The cashless trend was spurred on by the Covid pandemic when many businesses and services adopted contactless payment methods to reduce the spread of the virus.

Image: Gold Coast Aquatic Centre. Credit: HTS Timing.