Media storm over Gympie Aquatic Centre’s photographic policy

A Queensland aquatic centre has been caught up in a social media storm after introducing a policy that allows its staff to allegedly check the camera roll of adults before they leave the venue.

The Belgravia Leisure managed Gympie Aquatic Recreation Centre in southern Queensland has been critised by parents after they were made to sign consent forms to photograph their own children.

As reported by The Gympie Times, at least two parents have run into the policy in the past week where they were told to sign a consent form and have staff check their mobile phone before they left the centre.

When Gympie man Clint Newman visited the centre for the first time with his 10-year-old daughter he said he had no idea about the policy.

Newman told news.com.au "towards the end of our day at the pool, my daughter asked me to come and take some photos of her going down the waterslide."

As his daughter exited from the slide he pulled out his mobile phone to take pictures.

However, he claims that before he could start taking pictures a lifeguard stopped him.

Newman advised "he came up to me and said, ‘No mate, you’re not allowed to take photos, you have to go up to the front counter and get a permission slip.'"

While Newman said he understands the situation and “what they’d have to put up with” at the aquatic centre, he also said it was very obvious the little girl coming down the slide was his daughter.

He advised "you can tell the difference between a man there with no kids around him to another man who’s just had a little girl say to him, ‘Daddy, can you take photos?’ There’s a big difference between that."

In a statement to news.com.au, Belgravia Leisure’s General Manager of Operations Anthony McIntosh said the policy was in place to “prohibit the misuse of cameras for the privacy and comfort of all patrons, particularly with the prevalence of social media”.

The company said its intent was “not to seek signed consent forms from family and friends taking photos of each other”.

It said the way Gympie Aquatic Recreation Centre had interpreted it was “a timely reminder to educate all our sites on the intention of the policy”.

However, the policy will still “strictly ban any photography in change rooms and to uphold the need for signed consent forms for photography and filming undertaken by media or for marketing purposes.” 

Image: The opening of the Gympie Aquatic Recreation Centre earlier this year.

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