Regulator’s deep dive into overdue pool barrier checks

• Building and Energy monitors local governments’ private pool barrier inspections
• Lowest percentage of overdue inspections since reporting began
• Almost half of all WA overdue pools were in just four local government areas

A review by Building and Energy has revealed that most WA local governments are up to date with inspections of private pool safety barriers, but improvement is still needed to help young children stay safe around swimming pools.

The building regulator’s latest report found four local governments were responsible for almost half of all pools overdue for inspection in WA.

Building and Energy monitors the progress of local authorities’ pool inspections after an Ombudsman Western Australia report found more than 8,600 private swimming pools in WA were overdue for barrier inspections in mid-2015.

Under WA laws, private swimming pools, spas and portable pools with water more than 30cm deep must have a safety barrier that complies with the law and restricts the access of young children. WA local governments are required to carry out compliance inspections of the safety barriers of private pools in their districts. If four years lapse between checks, the pool is considered overdue for inspection.

Building and Energy’s latest report found 59 per cent of reporting local governments were up to date with their pool inspections at 30 June 2024. This is a notable improvement from 43 per cent in 2015, as reported by the Ombudsman.

Of more than 178,000 private swimming pools in WA, 1,645 – or 0.9 per cent – were considered overdue for inspection at 30 June 2024. This is the lowest percentage of overdue inspections ever recorded, surpassing 1.5 per cent in 2021-22 and significantly improving on 6 per cent at 30 June 2015, as reported by the Ombudsman based on data from 40 per cent of WA local governments.

The latest report found almost half of the overdue pools were in four local government areas – the City of Belmont (368), the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder (238), the Shire of Gingin (135) and the Town of Cambridge (81).

Of WA’s 139 local governments, five did not provide data by the deadline despite this becoming a mandatory requirement in June 2024.

Excluding local governments with fewer than 20 private pools in their jurisdiction, the highest numbers and percentages of overdue inspections as at 30 June 2024 in WA were in:

Many local governments advised that the main reasons for overdue inspections were staff resourcing and difficulties with access to properties.

“Tragically, drowning continues to be a leading cause of accidental death for young children,” Building Commissioner Saj Abdoolakhan said.

“There is no substitute for active adult supervision of young children around swimming pools, but safety barriers are an important back-up measure – as long as they are used and maintained correctly. Inspections by local governments are vital to help ensure these barriers remain compliant.

“While our report shows most local governments are putting in a solid effort, there remains room for improvement for a minority. It is disappointing that some local governments have significant number of overdue inspections. I hope our monitoring encourages those poorly performing local governments to improve their efforts.”

Progress report: Local governments’ periodic inspections of private swimming pool safety barriers 2023/24 and other resources, including an updated Rules for Pools and Spas guide, are available at demirs.wa.gov.au/rules-for-pools. 

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Media contact: Sarah Roberts – 0466 409 828 – BEmedia@demirs.wa.gov.au

Direct link to Progress Report: Local governments' periodic inspections of private swimming pool safety barriers.