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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-09-02 Daily Xml
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Public Pool Use

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:00): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions of the Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing regarding public pool use in South Australia.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: Recently, on ABC radio during an interview, the Mayor of Burnside stated that there is potential for added pressure on public pools this summer due to the algal bloom problem that we are experiencing in South Australia. When referring to the possibility of the need to increase opening hours of public pools in particular, she stated, and I quote:

It's been very busy [at the local pool]...The last few weeks I've really seen an increase in the number of people. I have had people ask me…[if we] are likely to look at bringing forward the date and time of our summer season…but I know it took a lot of long-term negotiation with the State Government last time [and several hours needed to be changed]...We can't just say we're going to extend it, there's the cost of staff.

Then there is the cost of heating the pool, etc. It is expensive. My questions to the minister are:

1. Is she aware whether public pool hours are considered to be extended to accommodate the additional demand due to concerns with effects of the algal bloom here in South Australia over the coming summer and warmer months?

2. If so, will the minister commit to providing funding to assist with operational costs associated with extending the opening hours of these public pools across the state, especially in light of suggestions from people that are running the pool that the federal government's $4 million grant to do so may not be adequate to cover the costs involved?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Autism, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:02): I thank the honourable member for his question. As a bit of background I guess, in regard to extended hours for swimming pools at the moment in South Australia, because of the construction of the Adelaide Aquatic Centre hours at pools like Unley and Burnside have been extended. For the first time, particularly with Unley, the pool has been open in winter, which has provided a unique opportunity for that community to be able to head to the pool and enjoy swimming all year round, and that's something we hope the council looks to and when thinking about what they could be doing differently.

The community has obviously shown interest, and my understanding is that it has been well received. I guess having the Adelaide Aquatic Centre come online in the near future has also provided an opportunity for councils to explore new ideas and how to utilise their facilities all year round. So that is a good thing that has come out of that.

In regard to access of swimming pools and the algal bloom, I know that VACSWIM opened yesterday and that is going ahead. It is really important to come back to the facts here, because we don't want misinformation getting out there. We don't want fear starting to come into the space of what we are doing in summer.

I am advised by the Chief Public Health Officer and our public health experts that it has been clear that the algal species that we are seeing predominantly in our areas, affecting our beaches, is not toxic and is not harmful to humans. Some people might experience mild and temporary symptoms from exposure to algal particles in the water or in the air, but I am advised that these go away quickly once leaving the water or beach and have no long-term impacts. SA Health has advised that people can continue to visit and swim at the beach and it is only recommended, if there is discoloured water or foam, to have a rinse in clean water.

We are encouraging people to continue to go to the beach. I mentioned in the last sitting week that we were bringing Surf Life Saving together. We are continuing to work with them. They are the provider of the VACSWIM program. We are keeping them up to date.

A forum that we held last week with the Premier—I think it was last week or the week before; forgive me, I can't remember which week—was a really good reminder of the invaluable knowledge and experience that Surf Life Saving bring to this discussion. That is why the government have included them very early on. They bring simple ideas that really build on what they stand for as an organisation, and that's a mission to have zero deaths that are preventable in our waters.

The reason this is a really simple solution that they came up with is we all want to respect and understand when we see the flags on the beach of best locations to swim, and this will in some ways put more emphasis and power behind Surf Life Saving to remind us about listening to their advice, swimming where the flags are, and following their safety guidance as well. Surf Life Saving have played a pivotal role in where we have been able to build our knowledge as a government, and we look forward to continuing to work with them, not only with our beaches but also with our pools, where they do VACSWIM programs, as well.

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