Sydney’s Inner West Council partners with Royal Life Saving in industry first aquatic safety initiative

Sydney’s Inner West Council has become the first council in Australia to partner with Royal Life Saving NSW as Aquatic Safety Partners - a newly launched initiative that allows councils and pool operators to bring their aquatic risk, training, education, professional development, and Swim School needs under the Royal Life Saving banner.

The partnership supports council and pool operators to exceed industry best practice and reassures customers that their facilities prioritise safety above all. As part of the partnership, all five aquatic facilities in the Inner West Council will be provided a suite of services and products by Royal Life Saving NSW. 

These facilities include the Annette Kellerman Aquatic Centre, Ashfield Aquatic Centre, Fanny Durak Aquatic Centre Dawn Fraser Baths and Leichhardt Park Aquatic Centre.

Through this partnership, Royal Life Saving NSW will deliver:

• Aquatic Safety Assessments

• Mystery Guest Assessments

• Benchmark reporting

• Annual pool Lifeguard updates for all Lifeguards

• Regular Lifeguard in-service training

• Swim School partnership which includes access to the Royal Life Saving NSW Child Safety Portal and a range of Swim School resources

• Keep Watch partnership

• Membership and ongoing professional development for senior management

Inner West Senior Manager - Sport and Recreation Simon Duck was instrumental in advocating for this partnership with Inner West Council.

Seeing this as an important milestone in ensuring Inner West facilities are operating at the highest of standards and conforming to industry best practice, he advises “community safety is our highest priority and this partnership with Royal Life Saving is central to ensuring best practice at our aquatics facilities.

 “We have five facilities that include indoor and outdoor pools, moveable floors, deep water, and dark/harbour water. We feel confident that Royal Life Saving’s training and assessment services provide our teams with a greater sense of confidence to carry out their day-to-day duties and keep our community safe.”

Royal Life Saving NSW Chief Executive, Michael Ilinsky formally welcomed the establishment of a new partnership agreement with Inner West Council, added “our public swimming pools are critical and important social infrastructure that provide substantial health and well-being benefits for all Australians. This partnership enhances key water safety and aquatic solutions that will ensure heightened skill development of Inner West aquatic employees and a broader range of programs and services supporting the community.

“This is an Australian first and an exciting development as we see our communities re-engage with our pools and aquatic environments after a difficult and challenging year. I congratulate Inner West Council for its vision and commitment to community safety and look forward to ongoing opportunities.”

The newly launched Royal Life Saving Aquatic Safety Partnership initiative is available for all councils and pool operators in NSW, ACT and Tasmania and can be tailored to suit the needs and services for any aquatic facility or swim school.