Australia to open pools without lifeguards — ABC News Australia
The Central Darling Shire Council in remote Australia plans to provide access to swimming pools in Wilcannia and Menindee without lifeguards present. The decision is explained by the inability to find enough staff ahead of the season starting in November, ABC News reports.
Card access and video surveillance
To visit a pool, residents must obtain an access card, complete a safety briefing and sign a document confirming that they understand the risks. Surveillance cameras will operate on the premises and be monitored by council staff. All children will be allowed to stay at the pools only when accompanied by adults.
Council general manager John Savill said a registered lifeguard must be over 16 years old, and there are few people in Wilcannia and Menindee willing to take on such work. According to him, the model of a managed facility without constant lifeguard supervision is intended to meet the community's needs. The council has already been testing a similar approach for several years at pools in Ivanhoe and White Cliffs.
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Residents' concerns and staff shortages
Wilcannia resident and Barkindji man Owen Wyman expressed concern about visitors' safety. He stressed that video cameras cannot provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation, while parents do not always have the qualifications to respond to a drowning or serious injury. Savill also said that the council had offered community members CPR training, but found no volunteers.
The shortage of lifeguards is also affecting other regions of Australia. Cabonne Shire and Mid-Coast councils have also used models allowing unsupervised access to pools. In Karunda, South Australia, pool opening hours were restricted last year because officials could not fill a paid lifeguard vacancy.
Craig Roberts, head of drowning prevention and education at Royal Life Saving NSW, said rural and remote pools face not only staff shortages but also financial difficulties and ageing infrastructure. According to him, fewer than five drownings are recorded at public pools in Australia annually, with most linked to health conditions.
