❓ Hon. Colin de Grussa asks the Minister for Education about the closure of VacSwim venues at Starvation Bay, Cape Riche, and Cosy Corner, and the criteria used for these decisions. The Minister outlines the criteria and indicates the review outcome will be communicated in advance of the next season.
AnsweredQoN 677Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
VACSWIM
677. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the Leader of the House
representing the Minister for Education:
I refer to reports that VacSwim venues at Starvation Bay,
Cape Riche and Cosy Corner will not be provided by the Department of Education
in 2024, and I note a recent review announcement.
(1) What
specific criteria were used in the decision to close each of the following
venues —
(a) Starvation
Bay;
(b) Cape
Riche; and
(c) Cosy
Comer?
(2) How do the above three venues differ from venues
such as those below when the above criteria are applied —
(a) Bremer
Bay;
(b) Cheynes
Beach; and
(c) Flinders
Bay?
(3) When will
the results of the review be available for the communities identified in (1)?
677. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the Leader of the House
representing the Minister for Education:
I refer to reports that VacSwim venues at Starvation Bay,
Cape Riche and Cosy Corner will not be provided by the Department of Education
in 2024, and I note a recent review announcement.
(1) What
specific criteria were used in the decision to close each of the following
venues —
(a) Starvation
Bay;
(b) Cape
Riche; and
(c) Cosy
Comer?
(2) How do the above three venues differ from venues
such as those below when the above criteria are applied —
(a) Bremer
Bay;
(b) Cheynes
Beach; and
(c) Flinders
Bay?
(3) When will
the results of the review be available for the communities identified in (1)?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the
honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1) The following criteria were assessed against a consideration
of the likelihood that the risk might occur, the consequences if one did
occur, and the mitigation measures that could be implemented by the department.
The criteria are whether the venue was an open beach or closed water location;
whether the beach was patrolled, partially patrolled or unpatrolled; distance
and time for emergency services response, including sea rescue; physical
factors impacting venue suitability, such as the depth of water; the extent of
mobile phone coverage; availability of suitable accommodation nearby for
program staff; and complaints and/or concerns raised by swimming staff
regarding venues or locations, including problematic interactions with members
of the public.
(2) The main difference is
difficulty for quick access by emergency services.
(3) The outcome
of the independent review will be communicated to the community well in advance
of the upcoming VacSwim season.
honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1) The following criteria were assessed against a consideration
of the likelihood that the risk might occur, the consequences if one did
occur, and the mitigation measures that could be implemented by the department.
The criteria are whether the venue was an open beach or closed water location;
whether the beach was patrolled, partially patrolled or unpatrolled; distance
and time for emergency services response, including sea rescue; physical
factors impacting venue suitability, such as the depth of water; the extent of
mobile phone coverage; availability of suitable accommodation nearby for
program staff; and complaints and/or concerns raised by swimming staff
regarding venues or locations, including problematic interactions with members
of the public.
(2) The main difference is
difficulty for quick access by emergency services.
(3) The outcome
of the independent review will be communicated to the community well in advance
of the upcoming VacSwim season.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.