There is growing disquiet from members of the public about how Canberra's public pools are being managed in the face of apparent difficulty getting enough people to staff them.
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The pool's operator Belgravia Leisure has rejected all the concerns levelled against it, saying while it did take on the facilities "at a tricky time - right before the peak of summer", the company "won't compromise on safety".
Belgravia Leisure also denied "any claim of keeping pools open without appropriate staff numbers or pressuring staff to keep venues or pools open if there are not enough staff to do so".
"Rather, wherever possible, we work with the team on site as well as the wider ACT team to draw from our pool of staff in order to keep the pools open for our guests to enjoy," a spokesperson said.
The company said it had "worked tirelessly" to recruit staff since it was appointed manager of five of Canberra's public pools in September.
"We have been successful in this undertaking, having (as of Thursday) hired and trained 127 new staff in just a few months," the spokesperson said.
"Whilst we are still occasionally facing some hurdles with regards to staffing in this early period of our transition, we remain focused on doing everything we can to ensure a safe and fun summer ahead with the pools operating as per their advertised opening hours."
Some staff in recent days have resigned from some of the pools, including the long-term manager of the Canberra Olympic Pool.
Supporters claimed it was due to her being pressured to open the pools with fewer staff and having to work extra, unpaid hours to ensure the facilities do open to the public.
A person associated with the Dickson pool was worried that the staffing situation increased the chance of a serious incident.
It's understood last month when crowds swamped the Dickson pool during a hot weekend and a "one-in, one-out" procedure was put in place for entry to the facility, only two staff were working at the pool.
"Given that you need, at a minimum, three people to perform proper CPR (including oxygen and a defibrillator) this is massively unsafe," it said.
The outside pool at Civic has been closed on and off and, at other venues, swimming lessons cancelled and children's pools ruled out of bounds due to a lack of staff.
That has led to calls for Belgravia Leisure and the ACT government to be transparent about the extent of the staffing shortage and what that means for the operation of the facilities over summer.
Friends of Canberra Olympic Pool president Terry Slevin said the group was saddened to hear this week of the resignation of the Civic pool's manager Tracy King and worried about "the staffing capacity at the pool as we lead into the busy summer school holidays".
"We know Ms King carried a heavy load to ensure the pool was opened. But the lack of sufficient staff to safely open the outdoor pools, including the dive pool, has been a problem for some weeks. The staffing levels have been an issue for months," Mr Slevin said.
"We are keen to understand the plan by the new pool management to ensure the fullest amenity of the facility, while ensuring staff levels are adequate to ensure proper supervision and safety of all patrons.
"We understand that all sectors of the economy are struggling with workforce availability. So transparency from the managers and the ACT government regarding the pool in the short and long term would be most welcome."
The ACT government was asked if the Property Group should accept some of the responsibility for staffing problems at the pools by not appointing a new operator sooner.
The former Dickson pool operators told the Property Group in September, 2022 it wanted out of the contract.
Belgravia Leisure was appointed a year later, in September, 2023.
Similarly, the Y NSW had told the Property Group at least seven months prior to the appointment of Belgravia Leisure that it no longer wanted to manage the other public pools in the city, Tuggeranong, Stromlo and Gungahlin.
The government made a statement that did not address the question of the Property Group's role in the matter.
"The ACT government is engaging regularly with Belgravia Health and Leisure during the transition period," a government spokesperson said.
"We understand that Belgravia continues to recruit staff so that the public pools can operate at full capacity.
"We will continue to work with Belgravia to make the process as smooth as possible for the Canberra community."
Mr Slevin had hoped the pool operators and government could meet with the pool users to discuss the current state of play but that was unlikely so close to Christmas.
The Friends of Canberra Olympic Pool just wanted some assurances about its operation over the summer.
"The Canberra Olympic Pool would be a great place for people to consider working, for students, people nearing retirement, or people with family commitments preventing them working full time. Even a few shifts a week would help, is my guess," Mr Slevin said.
Belgravia Leisure, meanwhile, thanked Ms King "for her tenure with Canberra Olympic Pool".
"As Tracy embarks on a new chapter of her career, we express our gratitude for her commitment to devoting her time to the facility and all the members, guests and user groups," the spokesperson said.
Belgravia said while it had "adequate staff available to operate all our ACT venues as per their opening hours, there were still positions available to come on board as a lifeguard and swim teacher."
More details of jobs available are here.
Megan Doherty
I like telling local stories and celebrating Canberra. Email: megan.doherty@canberratimes.com.au
I like telling local stories and celebrating Canberra. Email: megan.doherty@canberratimes.com.au
