Source: http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/fullhtml/inforce/subordleg+399+2008+cd+0+N
Timestamp: 2013-05-21 11:47:42
Document Index: 219150404

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 4', 'art 5', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 3', 'art 2', 'art 5', 'art 5', 'art 6', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 5', 'art 5']

[2008-399]
Current version for 29 April 2013 to date (accessed 21 May 2013 at 21:47).
File last modified 29 April 2013.
Division 1 Restriction of access to outdoor swimming
6 Standards required for certain swimming pools to be exempt
from requirement to separate swimming pool from residential
7 Standards required for swimming pools on large or
waterfront properties to be exempt from requirement to surround swimming
Division 2 Restriction of access to indoor swimming
9 Standards required to be exempt from requirement to
surround spa pool
Part 4 Exemptions from barrier requirements granted by local
15 Notice concerning certain decisions on
Part 5 Inspections and certificates of compliance
18B Notice of refusal to issue certificate of
21 Public access to AS
1926.1—2007 , Building Code
of Australia and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
22A Effect of changes to prescribed standards for existing
complying swimming pool barriers and means of access
23 Existing complying swimming pools may continue to comply
with earlier standards
Part 1 Preliminary1 Name of RegulationThis Regulation is the Swimming Pools Regulation
2008.2 CommencementThis Regulation commences on 1 September 2008.Note This Regulation replaces the Swimming Pools Regulation 1998
which is repealed on 1 September 2008 by section 10 (2) of the Subordinate Legislation Act
1989.3 Definitions(1) In this Regulation:AS
1926.1—2007 means the provisions of AS 1926.1—2007 Swimming Pool
Safety, Part 1: Safety barriers for swimming pools as
published by Standards Australia on 12 July 2007, other than clause
2.10.Building Code of
Australia means the document published by or on behalf of the
Australian Building Codes Board under the title Building Code of Australia, as in force from
time to time.Department means the Division
of Local Government within the Department of Premier and
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Guideline means the document entitled
Guideline 7: Cardiopulmonary
Resuscitation published in February 2006 by the Australian
Resuscitation Council.testing
apparatus means a cylindrical test object having a diameter of 105
millimetres, plus or minus 1 millimetre, and having at least one solid
flat-faced end.the Act means
1992.(2) Notes included in this Regulation do not form part of this
Regulation.4 References to compliance with AS 1926.1—2007 or Building Code of AustraliaFor the purposes of this Regulation, a child-resistant barrier,
window or doorway is taken to comply with the standards set out in a clause in
AS 1926.1—2007 or
the Building Code of Australia so
long as it complies with the minimum requirements for that
clause.Part 2 Restriction of access to swimming poolsNote. This Part prescribes standards for the restriction of access to
new swimming pools. Clause 23 deals with swimming pools completed before 1
September 2008.Division 1 Restriction of access to outdoor swimming
pools5 General requirements for outdoor swimming poolsFor the purposes of sections 7 (1) (b) and 12 (d) of the Act, the
prescribed standards in accordance with which a child-resistant barrier
surrounding a swimming pool is to be designed, constructed, installed and
maintained are the standards set out in the Building
Code of Australia.6 Standards required for certain swimming pools to be exempt
building(1) For the purposes of section 8 (2) of the Act, the prescribed
standards in accordance with which the means of access to a swimming pool from
a residential building are to be restricted are that:(a) each doorway, and each opening portion of a window, that gives
access to the swimming pool is to be designed, constructed, installed and
maintained in accordance with the standards set out in AS 1926.1—2007,
(b) in relation to each opening portion of a window giving access to
the swimming pool—there must not be any footholds wider than 10
millimetres between the bottom of the lowest opening panel of the window and
any point within 1.1 metres below the bottom of that
(2) Subclause (1) (b) does not apply to a window that is:(a) of substantial construction and is so fixed (by means of a keyed
locking device or other child-resistant device) that it has no opening through
which it is possible to pass a testing apparatus, or
(b) totally enclosed by a grille (including a fixed grille) that is of
substantial construction and is so fixed (by means of a keyed locking device
or other child-resistant device) that it has no opening through which it is
possible to pass a testing apparatus.
poolFor the purposes of sections 9 (2) and 10 (2) of the Act, the
prescribed standards in accordance with which the means of access to a
swimming pool from a residential building are to be restricted are the
standards set out in AS
1926.1—2007.Division 2 Restriction of access to indoor swimming
pools8 General requirements for indoor swimming poolsFor the purposes of section 14 of the Act, the prescribed
standards in accordance with which the means of access to an indoor swimming
pool is to be restricted are that each doorway, and each opening portion of a
window, giving access to the swimming pool must be designed, constructed,
installed and maintained in accordance with the Building Code of
Australia.Division 3 Restriction of access to spa pools9 Standards required to be exempt from requirement to
surround spa poolFor the purposes of section 20 of the Act, the prescribed
standards in accordance with which access to the water contained in a spa pool
is to be restricted are that the spa pool must be covered and secured by a
lockable child-safe structure (such as a door, lid, grille or mesh) that
is:(a) of substantial construction and having no opening through which it
is possible to pass a testing apparatus, and
(b) fastened to the spa pool by a device that is itself of substantial
construction and having no opening through which it is possible to pass a
Part 3 Warning notices10 Contents of warning notices(1) For the purposes of section 17 (1) of the Act, the sign referred
to in that subsection must bear a notice that contains all of the
following:(a) the words:(i) “YOUNG CHILDREN SHOULD BE SUPERVISED WHEN USING THIS
SWIMMING POOL”, and
(ii) “POOL GATES MUST BE KEPT CLOSED AT ALL TIMES”,
(iii) “KEEP ARTICLES, OBJECTS AND STRUCTURES AT LEAST 900
MILLIMETRES CLEAR OF THE POOL FENCE AT ALL
(b) a simple flow sequence (which may be the flow sequence depicted in
the Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Guideline) containing details of
resuscitation techniques (for infants, children and adults):(i) that are set out in accordance with the relevant provisions of
that Guideline, and
(ii) that comply with the other relevant guidelines of the Australian
Resuscitation Council, and
(iii) that are illustrated by drawings with key words only in bold
(c) a statement to the effect that formal instruction in resuscitation
(d) the name of the teaching organisation or other body that published
the sign and the date of its publication.
(2) However, any sign erected between 1 September 1995 and 31 August
2008 that bears a notice in accordance with clause 9 (a) and (b) of the
Swimming Pools Regulation
1998 (as in force immediately before its repeal) is taken to
comply with this clause.11 Legibility of warning noticesFor the purposes of section 17 (1) of the Act, the sign referred
to in that subsection:(a) must be legible from a distance of at least 3 metres,
(b) must be maintained in a clearly legible
authorities12 Application for exemption(1) An application made to a local authority under section 22 of the
Act is to be in the form approved by that
authority.(2) That form must contain statements to the effect that:(a) if the local authority fails to finally determine the application
within 6 weeks after it is made, then the local authority is taken, for the
purposes of any appeal proceedings, to have refused the application,
(b) if the local authority refuses the application for an exemption,
or is taken to have refused the application, or imposes a condition on an
exemption, the owner of the premises on which the relevant swimming pool is
situated is entitled to appeal to the Land and Environment Court against the
local authority’s refusal or against the
13 Fee for application for exemption(1) A local authority may impose a fee of up to $70 on an application
for an exemption under section 22 of the Act.(2) An application made to a local authority that has imposed a fee
must be accompanied by that fee.14 Circumstances that justify an exemptionFor the purposes of section 22 (1) (a) of the Act, the fact that
an adult occupier of the premises in or on which a swimming pool is situated
would (because of a physical disability or impairment of the occupier) be
significantly impeded in gaining access to the swimming pool if the
requirements of Part 2 of the Act were complied with is a special circumstance
that justifies the granting of an exemption from those
requirements.15 Notice concerning certain decisions on
exemptions(1) A local authority:(a) that refuses to grant an exemption under section 22 of the Act in
respect of a swimming pool, or
(b) that imposes conditions on an exemption under section 22 of the
Act in respect of a swimming pool,
must cause notice of the decision to be served on the owner of the
premises in or on which the swimming pool is
situated.(2) Such a notice:(a) must give reasons for the decision, and
(b) must state that the owner of the premises is entitled to appeal to
the Land and Environment Court from the decision.
Part 5 Inspections and certificates of compliance16 Community engagement(1) A local authority must establish and implement a strategy for
engagement with the local community when developing a program for the
inspection of swimming pools in its area.(2) The strategy must be based on social justice principles of equity,
access, participation and rights.(3) The local community is to be consulted in accordance with the
strategy in relation to the development of the inspection program (including
in relation to any review of such a program).17 Time for carrying out inspectionsFor the purposes of section 22C (3) of the Act, a reasonable time
within which a local authority must carry out an inspection is 10 business
days after receiving a request for the inspection in accordance with section
22C of the Act.18 Time for entering information on RegisterFor the purposes of section 22D (8) of the Act, details of a
certificate of compliance are to be entered on the Register within 3 business
days after the certificate of compliance is issued.18A Fee for inspection(1) For the purposes of section 22F (1) of the Act, the maximum fee
that a local authority may charge for carrying out an inspection of a swimming
pool is:(a) in the case of a first inspection of the swimming pool, $150,
(b) in the case of a second inspection of the swimming pool,
(2) No fee may be charged by a local authority for carrying out a
third or subsequent inspection for the purpose of the issue of the same
certificate of compliance.Note. Certificates of compliance are valid for a period of 3 years from
the date of issue, in accordance with section 22D (6) of the Act. After a
certificate of compliance for a swimming pool has ceased to be valid, the
local authority may charge a fee in accordance with this clause for an
inspection carried out for the purpose of issuing a new certificate of
compliance.18B Notice of refusal to issue certificate of
compliance(1) A local authority that refuses to issue a certificate of
compliance under section 22D of the Act in respect of a swimming pool must
cause notice of the decision to be served on the owner of the premises on
which the swimming pool is situated.(2) The notice must:(a) give reasons for the decision to refuse to issue the certificate,
(b) state that the owner of the premises on which the swimming pool is
situated is entitled to appeal against the decision to the Land and
Part 5A Registration of swimming pools18C Registration informationFor the purposes of section 30B (1) of the Act, the information
required to be entered on the Register in relation to a swimming pool is as
follows:(a) the address of the premises,
(b) the type of swimming pool (for example, whether the pool is
in-ground or above-ground, or indoor or outdoor, or a spa
(c) the type of premises (for example, premises on which a residential
building is located, premises on which tourist and visitor accommodation is
located or premises on which more than 2 dwellings are
18D Fee for provision of registration informationFor the purposes of section 30B (2) (b) of the Act, the maximum
fee that a local authority may require for the provision of registration
information within the meaning of section 30B of the Act is
$10.Part 6 Miscellaneous19 Directions by local authoritiesA local authority that gives a direction under section 23 of the
Act to the owner of any premises must include in the direction:(a) the reasons for its decision to give the direction,
(b) a statement to the effect that the owner of the premises is
entitled to appeal to the Land and Environment Court against the
20 Certificates of identificationFor the purposes of section 27 (2) of the Act, the prescribed form
of certificate of identification is the form set out in Schedule
1.21 Public access to AS
1926.1—2007, Building Code
Guideline(1) The Department must ensure that a paper copy or electronic version
of AS 1926.1—2007,
the Building Code of Australia and
the Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Guideline are made available for public
inspection at no cost at each public office of the Department during ordinary
business hours.(2) Each local authority must ensure that a paper copy or electronic
version of AS
1926.1—2007, the Building
Code of Australia and the Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
Guideline are made available for public inspection at no cost at each public
office of the local authority during ordinary business
hours.(3) The Department and each local authority must ensure that the
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Guideline is available for viewing on its
website.22 Penalty noticesFor the purposes of section 35 of the Act:(a) each offence under each section of the Act referred to in the
Table to this clause is a prescribed offence, and
(b) the penalty specified in that Table in respect of each such
offence is the prescribed penalty for that offence.
Offence under the ActPenaltysection 7 (1)$550section 12$550section 14$550section 15 (1)$550section 16$550section 17 (1)$110section 23 (3)$550section 30B (1)$22022A Effect of changes to prescribed standards for existing
complying swimming pool barriers and means of access(1) In this clause, relevant amendment
means:(a) an amendment to this Regulation that amends or substitutes a
standard prescribed for the purposes of a provision of Part 2 of the Act,
(b) an amendment to a standard that is prescribed, as in force from
time to time, for the purposes of a provision of Part 2 of the
(2) If a child-resistant barrier for a swimming pool is required to
comply with a standard prescribed under a provision of Part 2 of the Act and
the standard is amended or substituted by a relevant amendment, the barrier is
taken to comply with the amended or substituted standard so long as:(a) immediately before the relevant amendment took effect, the barrier
complied with the standard that applied to the barrier at that time and the
barrier continues to comply with that standard, or
(b) if the barrier has been substantially altered or rebuilt, the
barrier complied with the standard that applied to the barrier when it was so
altered or rebuilt and the barrier continues to comply with that
(3) If the means of access to a swimming pool are required to comply
with a standard prescribed under a provision of Part 2 of the Act and the
standard is amended or substituted by a relevant amendment, the means of
access are taken to comply with the amended or substituted standard so long
as:(a) immediately before the relevant amendment took effect, the means
of access complied with the standard that applied to the means of access at
that time and the means of access continue to comply with that standard,
(b) if the means of access have been substantially altered or rebuilt,
the means of access complied with the standard that applied to the means of
access when they were so altered or rebuilt and they continue to comply with
Note. Subclause (3) applies to standards prescribed under provisions of
Part 2 of the Act that relate to indoor swimming pools, outdoor swimming pools
or both.23 Existing complying swimming pools may continue to comply
with earlier standards(1) This clause applies to a swimming pool the construction or
installation of which was completed before 1 September
2008.(2) It is sufficient compliance with Part 2 of the Act for a swimming
pool to comply with that Part on the basis of the requirements of Part 2 of
Regulation 1998 (as an alternative to compliance on the basis
of the requirements of Part 2 of this Regulation).(3) However, this clause does not apply:(a) in relation to an outdoor swimming pool—if the
child-resistant barrier by which access to the swimming pool is restricted is
substantially altered or rebuilt, and
(b) in relation to an indoor swimming pool—if the premises in
which the swimming pool is situated are substantially altered or rebuilt in a
way that affects the means of access to the swimming
23A Certificates of compliance(1) Despite the repeal of section 24 of the Act by the Swimming Pools Amendment Act 2012, a
certificate under that section can be applied for within 6 months after the
repeal of that section and can be issued pursuant to such an application as if
that section had not been repealed.(2) A certificate issued pursuant to such an application is taken to
be a certificate of compliance issued under section 22D and remains valid for
a period of 3 years from the date on which it was
issued.(3) Such a certificate ceases to be valid if a direction is issued
under section 23 in respect of the swimming pool to which the certificate
relates.24 SavingsAny act, matter or thing that, immediately before the repeal of
have effect under this Regulation.Schedule 1 Certificate of identification(Clause 20)Certificate of identification(Swimming Pools Act
1992)This certifies that [insert name of inspector], whose
photograph and signature appear below, is an inspector for [insert name of
local authority] for the purposes of the Swimming Pools Act
(attachphotographhere) .........................(signature of inspector)(seal of local authority) The holder of this certificate is empowered, by section 28 of the
Swimming Pools Act 1992, to
enter any premises in or on which he or she suspects that a swimming pool is
situated and to examine the premises and, in particular, any swimming pool,
and any barrier or other means of restricting access to any swimming pool,
situated in or on the premises.This power may be exercised with the consent of the occupier of
the premises or, if that consent cannot be obtained, at any time (between 9.00
a.m. and sunset) after 24 hours’ notice of the proposed exercise of the
power has been given to the occupier of the premises.The holder of this certificate is not empowered to enter such part
of any building as is used for residential purposes, or any moveable dwelling,
otherwise than with the consent of the occupier of the building or dwelling or
under a search warrant.Historical notesThe following abbreviations are used in the Historical notes:
Am amended LW legislation website Sch Schedule Cl clause No number Schs Schedules Cll clauses p page Sec section Div Division pp pages Secs sections Divs Divisions Reg Regulation Subdiv Subdivision GG Government Gazette Regs Regulations Subdivs Subdivisions Ins inserted Rep repealed Subst substituted Table of amending instrumentsSwimming Pools
Regulation 2008 (399). GG No 106 of 29.8.2008, p 8832. Date of
Provisions) Act (No 2) 2008. Assented to 10.12.2008.Date of commencement of Sch 2.31, assent, sec 2
2010(121)Swimming Pools Amendment (Penalty
Notice Offences) Regulation 2010. LW 9.4.2010.Date of commencement, on publication on LW, cl
2011(174)Swimming Pools Amendment Regulation
2011. LW 3.3.2011.Date of commencement, 1.5.2011, cl 2.
2012(581)Swimming Pools Amendment
(Transitional) Regulation 2012. LW 23.11.2012.Date of commencement, on publication on LW, cl
2013(159)Swimming Pools Amendment
(Consequential Amendments) Regulation 2013. LW
26.4.2013.Date of commencement, 29.4.2013, cl 2 and sec 2 (2) of the Swimming Pools Amendment Act
Cl 3Am 2011 (174), Sch 1 [1] [2].Cl 4Am 2011 (174), Sch 1 [3].Part 2, noteAm 2008 No 114, Sch 2.31.Cl 5Am 2011 (174), Sch 1 [4] [5].Cl 8Am 2011 (174), Sch 1 [6].Part 5Subst 2013 (159), Sch 1 [1].Cll 16–18Subst 2013 (159), Sch 1 [1].Cll 18A, 18BIns 2013 (159), Sch 1 [1].Part 5A (cll 18C, 18D)Ins 2013 (159), Sch 1 [1].Cl 21Am 2011 (174), Sch 1 [7].Cl 22Am 2010 (121), cl 3; 2013 (159), Sch 1
[2].Cl 22AIns 2011 (174), Sch 1 [8].Cl 23AIns 2012 (587), cl 3.