Within Australia, one in two children are unable to swim the entire length of a pool comfortably before they finish Primary School.
Following the Yass Swimming Club’s successful advocacy in getting the Yass Swimming Pool heated on April 1, Yass Valley Mayor Jasmin Jones has rallied behind the Club in a call to upgrade not only Council’s 1965 facilities, but all 1950s-60s pools across Australia.
Attending the Australian Local Government Association’s (ALGA) National General Assembly (NGA) in Canberra, Mayor Jones put forward a motion that called on a federal “pool” of funds to upgrade the facilities with particular regard for those in rural and regional communities.
The motion would assist in upgrading Council-managed pools and follows the Yass Valley Council’s resolved motion to call for the establishment of a dedicated national fund to support the repair, replacement and upgrade of ageing Olympic-style swimming pools operating as Council-managed public assets as of Thursday, 26 February 2026 at their Ordinary Council Meeting.
From 23 to 25 June, Yass Valley Council CEO Gayleen Burley and Mayor Jasmin Jones attended the ALGA National General Assembly in Canberra, where Mayor Jones presented the strategic motion. The motion received support from councils including Newcastle City Council (NSW), Bass Coast Shire Council (VIC), Campaspe Shire Council (VIC) and Moyne Shire Council (VIC), strengthening advocacy to the Australian Government for the establishment of a dedicated national funding program for council-managed swimming pools.
When the Yass pool was built, it cost the Council £62,000 (including a government grant of £10,000.
Today, the pool would cost millions of dollars, a significant increase in comparison to the cost of repairs.
Within the Yass Valley region, Council’s Yass and Binalong Memorial Swimming Pools are considered “vital community assets that have served residents for more than 60 years”. With continual wear/tear and anything else associated with ageing, investments are now needed to repair and upgrade the facilities to allow them to continue meeting the needs of future generations.
Should the motion pass, a national funding initiative could enhance community resilience by providing relief during extreme heatwaves, improve public health by supporting physical and mental wellbeing, promote water safety by ensuring children have a safe place to access swim classes and could support local economies by keeping household spending within the Yass Valley through the maintenance of the existing amenity.
Mayor Jones says it’s now up to the ALGA.
“The nation’s peak body for council advocacy, [ALGA], is now tasked with calling for a federal fund to restore or replace pools that are reaching critical replacement to ensure the opportunity to learn to swim continues to be a life-saving skill that is just as accessible for country kids as it is for those in cities,” she says.
Yass Swim Club President, Hugh Rainger, says the Club backs the motion.
“Clubs and councils have carried these pools for 60 years, but renewing a 60-year-old pool is beyond any club, and beyond any regional council’s rates base,” he says.
“That is what this motion recognises.
“Federal support would not be a handout. It would be recognition that public pools are essential infrastructure, as vital to a town as its roads and its library.”
Affordable access to public swimming facilities plays an essential role in water safety, physical health and mental wellbeing, and the investment into community swimming pools comes at a pivotal time, with Royal Lifesaving Australia (RLA) finding one in two Aussie children are unable to swim 50 metres.
Despite this, the cost of maintaining and renewing ageing aquatic infrastructure is beyond the capacity of local Councils alone, with RLA estimating more than 500 pools to reach the end of their lifespan by 2030.
The ALGA National General Assembly is the key national agenda-setting forum for local government, bringing together hundreds of delegates from councils across Australia to advocate for issues of national significance. Having the motion supported by the Assembly is an important step towards establishing a dedicated funding program.
With the motion reaching a national audience, Yass Valley Council says they will continue to advocate for a dedicated national fund.
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