Check portable pool rules

CHEAP, portable pools must have been a popular buy around Christmas.

Swimming and cooling-off are favourite pastimes at Ipswich family get-togethers and during school holidays.

But how many of those pool buyers were aware of strict new regulations requiring fencing and registration for any pool that is capable of being filled to 300mm?

Apparently the packaging carries a warning of the legal obligations, sometimes in very fine print.

Hannah's Foundation co-founders Andrew and Katherine Plint are staunch and untiring campaigners for pool safety.

They tried in vain to publicise the new pool safety regulations before the Christmas spending rush.

Mrs Plint has been asked to leave some stores after trying to warn potential pool buyers of their obligations under the legislation.

In her view, retailers should be required to place highly visible signage on the pool displays that explains the need for fencing.

The Plints are trying desperately to save the lives of innocent children.

They know that hundreds of unfenced pools capable of drowning youngsters are sitting in countless backyards.

Even if your pool is fenced, remember to always supervise children in the water and never turn your back on a child in water - not even for a second.

Ipswich City Council is cracking down on those who refuse to comply with the law.

Tasked with administering the State Government pool safety laws, the council warns that owners of these pools need to comply with a number of regulations, including installation of a pool fence, obtaining a building approval for both the pool and fence before erecting, and obtaining a building certificate before filling the pool with 300mm or more of water.

So the pools people bought off the shelves, for less than $100 in many cases, will now eat into the family finances to the tune of hundreds of dollars for compliance.

While fencing and registration might be costly, what price do we put on the life of a child?

If you bought a pool that's covered under the legislation, check out your obligations at www.dlgp.qld.gov.au/ pool-safety/.

If you ignore the warnings, a pool safety inspector may well be in your vicinity soon, so do the right thing.