Royal Life Saving spotlights Federal Government’s commitment to aquatic centre upgrades

Royal Life Saving Australia has today spotlighted the aquatic centres across Australia to which the new Federal Government made election promises on facilities being upgraded, reinvigorated and rebuilt.

The election commitments worth more than $160 million made by the incoming government range from $500,000 for Fawkner Pool in Victoria to $25 million for the Alkimos Aquatic and Recreation Centre in Western Australia.

Royal Life Saving notes that “the funding promises highlight the difficulty many Councils have in maintaining, upgrading and replacing community swimming pools given the high cost of operations and servicing aging infrastructure.”

A report in 2021 by PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Royal Life Saving Society-Australia found the social, health and economic benefits of the aquatic industry to Australia are worth more than $9 billion.

Royal Life Saving Chief Executive, Justin Scarr welcomed the funding boost for the 16 facilities where commitments were made.

Scarr advised “this is undoubtedly a boost for those communities and we welcome the Federal Government funding commitments, particularly in underserved regional communities.

“Bringing people together, supporting marginalised groups and supporting early learning are some of the critical ways these public pools support their local communities.

“However, with more than 2100 facilities across Australia, more discussions are needed about how we and all three levels of government, and the broader community can work together to support these vital community facilities.

“We note in particular the aging remote pools which are coming up to the end of their functional life.

“The Melbourne Olympics in 1956 were a turning point for government investment in community pools. We hope that the coming Victorian Commonwealth Games in 2026 and the Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032 will give a renewed focus to our community pools.”

The funding commitments made during the election by the Labor Government include: Alkimos Aquatic and Recreation Centre; Boyne Tannum Aquatic Recreation Centre; Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool; Casuarina Pool; City of Kingston Aquatic and Leisure Centre; Diamond Creek Outdoor Pool; Ellenbrook Swimming Pool; Fawkner Pool; George Town Aquatic Centre; High Wycombe Community including Aquatic Centre; Kalgoorlie-Boulder Outdoor Pool; Katherine Aquatic Centre; Leichhardt Park Aquatic Centre; Noble Park and Dandenong swimming pools; and North Bellarine Aquatic and Leisure Centre.

These include boosts to funding for existing partially-funded projects, including the Ellenbrook Swimming Pool, upgrades at existing facilities, and new facilities to serve growing communities.

Image: Katherine Aquatic Centre - Upgrades to the Northern Territory’s Katherine Aquatic Centre appeared assured prior to Federal election, with both the incumbent LNP Government and Labor opposition committing funds for the project. Labor candidate for Lingiari, Marion Scrymgour pledged $10 million to upgrade the Katherine Aquatic Centre with then Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce also announcing $10 million for the centre’s infrastructure upgrades. While the facility has served the community for the past 40 years, the funding is considered necessary to cater for the expanding community population.