ACT government imposes new standards for all Canberra pools

All ACT pools with a depth greater than 30cm will need to comply with modern safety regulations by May 1, 2028.

Previously, pools only had to meet the safety standards from the time they were built.

Owners must maintain pool barriers, keep doors and gates securely closed and tell prospective tenants and buyers whether or not the pool complies with regulations.

This includes in-ground, above-ground, temporary or permanent pools; wading or kids' pools, demountable pools, portable pools and spas.

NSW pool safety certifier and owner of National Pool Safety, Regan Harrison, welcomed the regulations.

"The water is a dangerous environment and we need to make sure that it's as safe as possible," he said.

While pools from 2012 should meet current standards, many older ones will not, Mr Harrison said.

"I reckon we'll be surprised that it will be a high percentage of pools that won't comply," he said.

"I go to pools here [in the ACT] and in NSW all the time that don't comply at all.

"You can walk straight from the street into the pool area .. they physically don't have a barrier or they have gates that don't comply, they don't auto-close and auto-lock."

Mr Harrison believes that four years is more than enough time for people to make sure their pools comply.

However, he said people may struggle to get tradespeople and certifiers able to upgrade or inspect the pools.

Mr Harrison said when the standards were first announced earlier in the year, he had an influx of calls from Canberrans.

"There's gonna be a massive backlog of tradesmen who can make the pool compliant and then there's a massive problem of who's going to inspect them," he said.

"[The government] might be surprised that there's not enough licensed people out there to do it."

He said it may also be expensive for some people to upgrade their barriers or fences.

The standards are particularly important to protect young children from drowning, Minister for Sustainable Building and Construction, Rebecca Vassarotti, said.

"In the ACT, the most common location for drowning death and injury for children under the age of five is in home swimming pools," she said.

Young children can die in water within minutes, Mr Harrison said.

"You'll never hear a scream or anything. It's a silent thing and it can happen within a split second," he said.

IN OTHER NEWS:

It only takes 20 seconds and a few centimetres of water for a toddler to drown, according to Kidsafe.

It is still imperative that children are supervised while in the pool, Ms Vassarotti said.

"Supervising children in a pool is still the best way to monitor a child's safety in the water, but pool fences are a crucial way to restrict children from entering pool areas and spas," she said.

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