Arabic version: تجربة دخول غير مُراقَب إلى مسابح المناطق النائية

According to ABC News, councils across regional and rural Australia are struggling to recruit lifeguards, prompting some to reduce pool hours, close facilities or consider unsupervised access. Central Darling Shire Council in Far West New South Wales will trial the model at its Menindee and Wilcannia pools this summer after being unable to recruit lifeguards before the season starts in November.

The council has previously tested managed, unsupervised access at pools in Ivanhoe and White Cliffs for several years. General manager John Sevil said lifeguards must be over 16 and there were limited numbers of people in Wilcannia and Menindee willing to take on the role. He said the council believed the model met community needs.

People seeking to use the pools will need an access card, complete a safety induction and sign a waiver confirming they understand the risks. CCTV will operate with council staff monitoring it, and children must be accompanied by an adult. The council also asked community members to undertake CPR training at its expense, but Mr Sevil said there had been no interest.

Wilcannia resident and Barkindji man Owen Whyman said he was concerned about safety, warning that CCTV could not perform CPR. Similar staffing pressures have affected councils elsewhere, including Karoonda in South Australia, which limited pool hours last year after difficulty filling a paid lifeguard role. Royal Life Saving NSW’s Craig Roberts said rural and remote pools faced staff, financial and infrastructure pressures, while public pools recorded fewer than five drownings a year in Australia, mostly linked to health incidents.