Pool safety

The warm start to summer and the school holiday period provide timely reminders to be aware of swimming pool safety. 

Pool owners are advised to check that pool gates are self-closing and latching, that objects such as furniture and vegetation are not within 90 centimetres of a pool fence and that children are always actively supervised around water. 

Royal Life Saving Australia data shows that between 2014 and 2024, 92 children aged 0 to four years lost their lives in a swimming pool. The majority (91 per cent) occurred in a backyard swimming pool. Most children accessed the swimming pool unsupervised through a gate that had been propped open or not properly closed. 

For more information about pool fence requirements and details of private certifiers who can check compliance, go to swimmingpoolregister.nsw.gov.au