Our top news of 2021. Part 4: October to December

In addition to the high-profile issues that the industry has faced this year, it is sad to have to reflect that this year was one of too many instances of crime and breaches of safety.

While news on matters such as this will inevitably generate interest and click-thrus, it is ad that we have had to cover stories relating to theft and fraud along with abuse, particularly sexual abuse.

Sadly, 2021 also saw too many accidents and safety-related incidents, culminating in the pre-Christmas deaths of six children on a jumping castle at a school in Tasmania.

Not was I deeply saddened by the loss suffered by these families but I was really, really angry that this could have happened.

There have been enough experiences of jumping castles taking flight and enough guidance issued so that a fatal incident (I will not call it an accident as that suggests it was not preventable) as this should not happen.

Serious questions need to be asked of the school and whoever managed and provided the inflatable and the full weight of the law applied, with those responsible not able to hide behind ignorance, liquidated entities and/or government bailouts.

It is also appropriate remember some those is the industry that we have lost this year, from significant industry figures to those at the coalface of the industry.

Here it is appropriate to remember:

With apologies to anyone missed.

On a less morbid note, this quarter also saw some remarkable alliances in relation to activity, exercise, fitness, recreation and sport with the creation of the new Active Australia Alliance and Fitness Australia relaunching as AUSactive, reinvigorating its activities to fight the nation’s inactivity crisis.

Remarkably both initiatives were announced on the same day!

And beyond this recap of the year, the team at Australasian Leisure Management wishes you a Happy New Year and looks forward to a safe, healthy and prosperous 2022 for us all.

20th December 2021 - $10.3 MILLION IN SPORTS COMMISSION FUNDS AIMED AT GETTING AUSTRALIANS GET ACTIVE

20th December 2021 - SIXTH CHILD DIES AS A RESULT OF TASMANIAN JUMPING CASTLE TRAGEDY AS OPERATOR SHUTS DOWN WEBSITE

17th December 2021 - INSURER SPORTSCOVER SURPRISED BY SMALL BUSINESS OMBUDSMAN’S SUPPORT FOR ATTRACTIONS MUTUAL FUND

15th December 2021 - DREAMWORLD CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY WITH OPENING OF ITS NEW STEEL TAIPAN ROLLERCOASTER

6th December 2021 - COUNCILS FAIL TO MAXIMISE NET ZERO EMISSIONS WITH THEIR AQUATIC ASSETS

25th November 2021 - NEW ACTIVE AUSTRALIA ALLIANCE LOOKS TO REPRESENT ‘COMMUNITY LEISURE INDUSTRY’

25th November 2021 - WITH A NEW VISION FOR HEALTH AND WELLBEING FITNESS AUSTRALIA ANNOUNCES REBRANDING AS AUSACTIVE

23rd November 2021 - ASM GLOBAL GROWS ASIA PACIFIC FOOTPRINT WITH NEW SINGAPORE REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS

23rd November 2021 - AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF FITNESS PREDICTS TOP 10 FITNESS TRENDS FOR 2022

22nd November 2021 - LUNA PARK SYDNEY COUNTS DOWN TO OPENING OF NEW BIG DIPPER RIDE

18th November 2021 - BIG SCREEN VIDEO AND BETMAKERS TECHNOLOGY GROUP AGREE EXCLUSIVE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP

18th November 2021 - RISK MANAGEMENT THE KEY TO WAY OUT OF ATTRACTIONS INDUSTRY’S INSURANCE CRISIS