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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-12-02 Daily Xml
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VACSWIM

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (14:30): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the acting minister for recreation, sport and racing a question about the 2009 VACSWIM program.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS: Members would be well aware that a significant controversy is raging about the 2009 VACSWIM program. The VACSWIM program is a popular and necessary swimming program which is conducted by the Office for Recreation and Sport and run by private firms. VACSWIM is utilised by around 20,000 South Australian children each year. However, for the first time in 78 years the Royal Life Saving Society of South Australia has withheld authorised use of its nationally recognised logbook for the 2009 VACSWIM program due to serious safety concerns with the program, including, amongst other things, the lack of adequate guidance to instructors within the new program, dangerous and discredited activities within the new program, a lack of essential and basic survival elements and unnecessary activities which heighten the risk of asphyxiation.

The opposition is deeply disturbed about these and many other concerns raised by RLSSA last week. It is even more concerned to hear that the University of South Australia denies the acting minister's claim that the new program was developed in conjunction with the university. One might well ask what level of confidence thousands of parents should have in their children's safety, as well as in this government. My questions are:

1. Will the minister advise the council whether he has misled the public of South Australia by saying that the University of South Australia has endorsed the changes to the VACSWIM program?

2. Is it accurate to say that the government is saving significant money on the 2009 program and that the cost to families to send their children to VACSWIM has risen, even though the minister gave an assurance that the program is costing absolutely less than last year?

3. Given the toing and froing and various contradictions from the acting minister (as reported in the media), does he actually know what is happening in the 2009 VACSWIM program?

4. Will he apologise to the people of South Australia for misleading them?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (14:32): Last Sunday, in following up a story The Advertiser sought some information from me on this program, on which hitherto I had not received any advice. It has been recognised that that information was incorrect. I understood that this program had been developed in consultation with an individual. I had received information that the program had been developed in conjunction with the University of South Australia. That was not correct. Currently, I am seeking information from the Office for Recreation and Sport about the full background to this decision.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: I have not misled parliament. It is often the case that journalists will ring on a Sunday or over the weekend, and we seek information at short notice in order to provide stories. As I said, I am not impressed by the fact that the information I was given was subsequently found to be incorrect, but the matter will be dealt with.

It is my understanding that minister Wright, who will be back next week, has already met with the Royal Life Saving Society of South Australia and that the minister and Executive Director of the Office for Recreation and Sport will be meeting in the near future with their representatives in order to clarify any misunderstandings in relation to the program. I gather that that will happen next week on the minister's return.

I want to assure families that the VACSWIM program is focused strongly on personal water safety for young children. The program has been evaluated by Mr Ken Richter, who is a prominent water safety expert with over 25 years' experience. I understand that his 25 years' experience includes managing the South Australian education department's swimming and aquatics program. He was also the chief lecturer for the Australian Council for the Teaching of Swimming and Water Safety (AUSTSWIM). The VACSWIM program has been evaluated by a person with 25 years' experience and it will be conducted by qualified instructors, as has been the case in previous years. Of course, it is unfortunate that the Royal Life Saving Society has concerns, but the society will be meeting with the minister on his return next week, together with the head of the Office for Recreation and Sport, and I am sure that those concerns will be dealt with at that meeting.

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