Dad of drowning victim urges Queensland pool owners to comply with new safety standards

Queensland pool owners will face on-the-spot fines if they do not comply with new safety standards by December 1, and the father of a young drowning victim has urged owners to act.

Pool safety campaigner Andrew Plint, from Hannah’s Foundation, lost his two-year-old daughter in a backyard drowning in 2004 and has urged Queensland residents to make sure their pools meet the rules.

Six out of seven pools fail on first inspection, Mr Plint said.

“As the ground moves, as time changes, certain things start to fall apart on the pool and it’s up to homeowners to get on those and maintain them as they go,” he said.

The new standards include pool registration, self-latching gates, and a pool fence height of 1.2 metres with a maximum 100mm gap from the ground.

No climbing objects may be placed within a certain distance of fences, and all pools must have a CPR sign that meets guidelines.

For more information about the standards and pool safety, visit qbcc.qld.gov.au.