The role of Local Government

Local governments play an important role with regards to pool safety. They can:

• enter properties to inspect pools
• prosecute owners of non-compliant pools
• decide impracticality exemptions and existing disability exemptions
• cancel pool safety certificates for noncompliant pools
• declare areas as ‘remote’ to help minimise inspection costs for pools in remote areas

They are also required to:

• inspect pools if asked by a pool owner—for example, by employing a pool safety inspector in-house, by sharing a pool safety inspector between several local governments or by contracting to a private safety inspector
• provide records of existing pools to help establish the state-wide swimming pool safety register
• undertake enforcement action following an immersion notice from Queensland Health, a complaint notice or a notice from the QBCC

Local governments may charge a cost recovery fee to perform their responsibilities under the pool safety laws, except for responding to immersion incident notices or pool safety complaint notices.