Australasian Leisure Management issue 153 2022 by ausleisure97

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ISSUE 153

SPORT

Fan Engagement Broadcasting Deals

ATTRACTIONS Alpine Resort Management Amusement Ride Safety

AQUATICS Print Post Approved PP100022562

AUSTSWIM’s Achievements Rebuilding Infrastructure

FITNESS

Mental Health Waivers and Liability

MASS PARTICIPATION Brisbane Cycling Festival AMPSEA Conference

PLUS

Wahgunyah Recreation Reserve Live Event Challenges

contents

Issue 153

features 20

Striving for Safety Legislative requirements for amusement devices

Accessible, Inclusive, Innovative The transformation of Wahgunyah Recreation Reserve

Normalising Disability Welcoming people with a disability into fitness

Gone too Far Limitations of liability in health and fitness

Maximum Eﬀort The value of mass participation sporting events

COVER: Refurbished sports courts at the Wahgunyah Recreation Reserve. See page 26.

regulars 6 From the Publisher

The award-winning Brisbane Cycling Festival

49 People in brief 63 Products To subscribe go to subscribe.ausleisure.com.au

Good to be Back? New challenges for live events and outdoor entertainment

Rights On Lessons from the AFL’s latest broadcasting deal

Keeping Fans Engaged The future of sports fan connection with clubs

8 Two Months in Leisure 45 People

Wheels in Motion

The Lift the Alps Need What can Alpine Resorts Victoria achieve?

Water Safety starts with us AUSTSWIM’s vital role in teaching water safety

4 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

Australia’s Ageing Aquatic Facilities The $8 billion challenge facing public aquatic facilities

100 million

Annual Network Revenue

Multi-award winning

International expansion across

3 countries

From the Publisher Sponsorship, opinions and the need for true engagement

Published by Australian Leisure Media Pty Ltd, 45/30 Nobbs Street, Surry Hills, NSW 2010 (PO Box 478, Collaroy, NSW 2097) AUSTRALIA ABN 32 092 549 721

Tel: 02 8018 6808 E-mail: leisure@ausleisure.com.au www.ausleisure.com.au Facebook: www.facebook.com/AusLeisure Editor Karen Sweaney Publisher Nigel Benton Design Australian Leisure Media Pty Ltd Contributors James Croll and Gwen Luscombe

Advertising Inquiries Nigel Benton Tel: 0411 551 731 Email: nigel@ausleisure.com.au James Croll Tel: 0488 090 904 Email: jcroll@ausleisure.com.au Printed in Australia by Pegasus Print Group Building B, 1A Bessemer Street, Blacktown NSW 2148 Tel: 02 8822 0600, www.pegasusprintgroup.com.au Annual subscriptions cost $99 in Australia and New Zealand. Details at subscribe.ausleisure.com.au or call 02 8227 6486. Members of AALARA, ARNA, ASPA, ASSA, EVANZ, ExerciseNZ, IAKS, LIWA Aquatics, the Sports and Play Industry Association and the VMA receive the magazine as a membership benefit. The views contained in Australasian Leisure Management are not necessarily those of Australian Leisure Media Pty Ltd or the Editor. While every care is taken with advice given, Australian Leisure Media Pty Ltd and the Editor can take no responsibility for effects arising therefrom. Views expressed by contributors may be personal and are not necessarily the views of their employers or professional associations.

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Australasian Leisure Management is an Australian product, Australian owned and printed in Australia.

As we complete this magazine, sponsorships in sport and the arts by energy and mining companies has been spotlighted in reports following Australian Diamonds players having refused to wear branding from mining company Hancock Prospecting on their uniforms during their Constellation Cup netball series against New Zealand. Later it emerged that the refusal to wear Hancock Prospecting’s branding more related to comments made by the company’s founder Lang Hancock in the 1980s when he suggested that some Aboriginals be sterilised in order to “breed themselves out”. The fast moving issue saw Hancock Prospecting withdraw vital sponsorship from Netball Australia, although, as I write, this funding appears to have been replaced by the Victorian Government’s tourism agency Visit Victoria. Subsequently it emerged that Cricket Australia will end its partnership with Alinta Energy at the end of the contract period next June; oil and gas company Woodside Petroleum advised that it will not extend its multimillion-dollar sponsorship of the AFL’s Fremantle Dockers beyond the 2023 season and oil and gas company Santos declared that it will no longer sponsor the opening night of the Darwin Festival having, in January ended its sponsorship of the Australian Open after just one year. For a long time, energy and mining companies have been significant sponsors in the arts and sport and the actions of environmental activists, who paint such partnerships as ‘sportswashing’ (the term used to describe the practice of individuals, groups, corporations, or governments using sponsorships and other means to improve reputations) has the potential to halt valuable income streams. Nonetheless, prior to it being banned in the early 1990s, tobacco sponsorship of sport and the arts was seen as vital, but, once removed the sector adapted. What the Players and Artists think The changing climate in sponsorship highlights that not only external factors are at play, but the attitudes of stakeholders. Prior to this year’s Sydney Festival, artists objected and then withdrew from the program over sponsorship by the Israeli Embassy. In July, the move by the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles to wear a pride jersey in an NRL fixture saw seven players announced they would not play in what was a key match. With Manly becoming the first team in the competition ever to wear a kit which promotes LGBTQI+ inclusivity in the sport, the players said they wouldn’t wear the jersey - claiming that they objected to the move on religious and cultural grounds, as well as not having been consulted. A weakened Manly lost the match against the Sydney Roosters, ending their Finals series hopes. In October, the AFLW’s first-ever Muslim player, Haneen Zreika, pulled out of the GWS Giants’ Pride Round (celebrating the LGBTQI+ community) fixture due to religious beliefs. What emerges from this is that sports, leagues, clubs and events can no longer assume that the sponsorships and causes that they promote and sign up to will be agreed to by their players, participants and stakeholders. And in an age of increasingly polarised opinions that can be shared across social media and multiple public forums, there is massive potential for embarrassing and divisive public disagreement. Engagement is a term that is widely used across this industry, but mainly in an external sense. What the industry needs to act on in sponsorship is genuine engagement with all stakeholders to make sure all are on board before disagreements cause discord and embarrassment. Nigel Benton, Publisher

Two Months in Leisure Some of the industry headlines over recent months. Daily industry news can be read at www.ausleisure.com.au

Music Victoria report cites challenges of unpaid performances, closed venues and bullying A newly released report from Music Victoria has revealed that the industry is facing major challenges as it emerges from the pandemic amid mounting business, cultural and capacity problems. The Music Victoria Priorities for the Victorian Music Industry white paper shows that less than half of the Victorian businesses licensed for live music performances in 2019 have so far renewed their licences for 2021/22 while the industry struggles with endemic harassment, bullying and low pay. The white paper seeks to build the global recognition of the live music sector, as a key driver of Victoria’s economic, cultural and social prosperity. The report painted a stark picture of working conditions for musicians, with one in four performances unpaid and contracts regularly broken without compensation. It found little diversity in the industry, with about three-quarters of performance opportunities filled by men, and a longstanding culture of bullying and harassment.

New Rottnest Island management plan to better service tourists Western Australia’s new Rottnest Island Management Plan 2023-2027 will replace the current plan which was due to expire in December 2024 and aims to offer improved services for tourists. Rottnest Island has seen significant renewal, receiving further funding for key infrastructure and development of visitor amenities in recent years. This has included more than $100 million for major upgrades to the Island’s energy and water networks, roads and jetties. 8 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

Australian Sports Commission drops Sport Australia brand Having been used less frequently over recent months, the Australian Sports Commission has announced that, as part of its new strategic vision, the Sport Australia brand is being retired. Launched in 2018, to focus on physical activity as part of the implementation of its Sport 2030 strategy, the Sport Australia title had caused confusion with its use being interchangeable with the Australian Sports Commission brand. The new strategic vision is titled ‘Our Green and Gold decade of opportunity’ with ASC Chief Executive Kieren Perkins noting that “any game plan in sport is only as good as the way in which you deliver it.” Having dropped the epithet Sport Australia, ASC aims to move forward as one integrated organisation incorporating both participation and high performance sport.

New Zealand expansion for Club Pilates and Planet Fitness Planet Fitness, Inc. has revealed that it is to expand into New Zealand, with the announcement of an Area Development Agreement with Castle Point Fitness NZ Ltd. Looking to open a minimum of 25 Planet Fitness locations in New Zealand over the next few years, Ray Miolla, Chief Development Officer at Planet Fitness, explained “our growing fleet of clubs in Australia is performing very well, and we believe we have the right local team in place to replicate this success in New Zealand and accelerate growth of our business in this region.” Castle Point is a joint venture between the founder of The Fresnel Companies, LLC, a USA-based investment firm and a private family office. Club Pilates is also to expand into New Zealand with the Australian master franchise operator of the world’s largest Pilates brand revealing plans for over 10 locations. Founded in 2007, Club Pilates is the largest Pilates brand and studio network worldwide with more than 700 studios across the globe, spanning eight countries. Club Pilates is owned by Xponential Fitness, Inc., the largest global franchisor of boutique fitness brands including Pure Barre, CycleBar, StretchLab, BFT, Rumble, Row House, YogaSix, AKT, and STRIDE.

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Kyabram Fauna Park Lachlan Gordon and Ben Stubbs with inland taipans. Credit: Visit Shepparton

Zoos Victoria marks 160 years of wildlife conservation

Kardinia Park Stadium Trust looks for operator for GMHBA Stadium Cricket Hub

Melbourne Zoo, Australia’s oldest zoo, is this year marking 160 years of wildlife conservation. Still retaining the same 55-hectare footprint as when it opened its gates on 6th October 1862, the Zoo originally housed mostly domestic and wild animals, such as deer, boar and birds that had been imported to Australia from overseas. From its origins, Zoos Victoria has grown to include Werribee Open Range Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary and, later this year, Kyabram Fauna Park in northern Victoria. All engage the wider community in wildlife conservation, educating and empowering visitors to take positive action for wildlife. Together, Victoria’s Zoos currently care for more than 4,500 animals across 350 species, with a focus on fighting wildlife extinction in Victoria and across Australia.

The Kardinia Park Stadium Trust has advised that it is looking for an operator for the Geelong Cricket Hub, a 5-lane indoor cricket hub being constructed as part of the fifth and final part of the current redevelopment of the northern end of GMHBA Stadium. The cricket hub is positioned adjacent to the existing Geelong Cricket Club nets with entrance from a new landscaped plaza forming the gateway to the new grandstand. Due for completion in mid-2023, the Centre will be leased to Cricket Victoria by Kardinia Park who in turn will look to appoint a suitably qualified operator and centre manager. The Trust is now taking expressions of interest for a Cricket Hub Operator who will run the facility.

Business France looks to deliver opportunities for Australian sport

Pandemic affected Australian Open events generated significant economic benefit and record broadcast numbers

Business France, the French Embassy’s Trade and Investment Commission is looking to foster new partnerships between Australian and French companies in the aquatic, fitness, recreation and sport industry. As the national agency supporting the international development of the French economy, Business France believes there are great opportunities within this sector for developing synergies between the two nations, with a spokesperson advising “budding partnerships in sporting infrastructure, equipment, solution and sporting events management will prove valuable and rewarding.”

The Australian Open tennis tournament generated $405.3 million in economic benefits in 2021 and 2022 according to a new report from Nielsen Sports. The newly released data shows that the two pandemicaffected tournaments welcomed 130,374 fans in 2021 and a further 346,468 attendees in 2022 while, this year, the event delivered the highest-rating TV program, peaking at 4.261 million viewers in Australia watching Ash Barty’s historic victory. Globally that year, 746 million hours were broadcast in 226 territories via 25 partners in 2022 - a 20% increase on 2021.

Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153 9

Survey suggests Australians are overspending on gym memberships

Singapore’s Revolution spin cycling to expand franchise model in Australia

Millions of Australians are overspending on their gym membership, according to new research from Finder. The recently released survey found nearly a third of gym-goers (32%-1.2 million Australians) are spending more than $20 per session, based on how frequently they work out. This includes 8% who are wasting $1,024 per year just to attend the gym once or not at all. The research found the 5% of Australians who attend once every six months are spending the equivalent of $512 per session, while it costs $256 per session for the 7% who use their gym once every three months. Finder revealed that the average weekly gym spend is $19.70 per week, which, for the average gymgoer who attends around twice a week, equates to $8.60 per session.

Spin cycling operator Revolution Singapore has announced the launch of its franchise model in Australia, revealing that it is ready to engage state master and franchisees nationwide. Established in 2020, the premium indoor rhythm cycling brand currently operates at four locations in Singapore focussing on high-intensity, beat-filled, full-body workouts in darkened rooms with sessions led by inspirational instructors.

Cotton On Group investment to back national expansion of Geelong fitness studio The investment arm of Cotton On Group, Australia’s largest global retailer, is to invest in Geelongbased fitness studio and activewear retailer Upstate Studios to help the brand expand nationally. Founded in 2009 in Geelong, Upstate operates six fitness studios in Victoria on top of its online fitness classes and its activewear apparel line Upstate Sport. Using Cotton On’s ‘expertise and experience’ and backed by Cotton On’s innovation fund, Upstate will look to first grow in Victoria before then expanding nationally.

Swimming Australia announces new partnership with Australian Swim Schools Association Aimed at strengthening the swimming community, Swimming Australia has entered into a new strategic partnership with the Australian Swim Schools Association (ASSA). The new partnership will establish strategies to connect the services, capabilities and networks of both organisations, integrating the full swimming pathway in the process. Swimming Australia Chief Executive, Eugénie Buckley believes the collaboration between both organisations will further strengthen the sport at all levels. Buckley notes “we are a swimming nation with 1 in 5 Australians engaging in some form of swimming activity around the country, and that journey all starts in our swim schools. “Working with ASSA will enable us both to continue to foster that positive relationship with our sport, from your very first swimming lesson, to grassroots community swimming and through to the elite level.” ASSA has also introduced a new, streamlined approach to swim teacher accreditation which will see ASSA Member Swim Schools conduct their own Teacher of Swimming and Water Safety Course integrated into their training processes. 10 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

Images: Concepts for the new Te Kaha venue. Credit: Christchurch City Council.

Website launched to promote Christchurch’s new Te Kaha multi-use venue Christchurch venue management organisation Venues Otautahi has released a new website and imbedded video promoting the new Te Kaha multi-use venue. Introducing new concept imagery for the stadium, which is scheduled to open in the winter of 2026, the website also promotes hospitality offerings and commercial partnership opportunities for the $683 million city centre venue. Following its recent official launch of the venue, Te Kaha project delivery board Chair Barry Bragg has advised that the cost burden for the venue’s construction now rests with the building contractors BESIX Watpac.

Funding boost to deliver new Canberra theatre The ACT Government’s 2022/23 Budget has allocated a total of $28.44 million to revitalising Civic Square and the Canberra Theatre Centre. This will fund design work and extensive stakeholder and community consultation for the expanded Canberra Theatre Centre, which will include a new major theatre. A further $2.39 million will be invested to commence essential workplace health and safety upgrades and to provide the required resourcing to support the expansion and redevelopment of the Canberra Theatre Centre.

Federal Government launches 10 year conservation plan for threatened species

Educators and recreation stakeholders call for more outdoor focus in schools

With ambitious targets, Federal Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek has released the Threatened Species Action Plan: Towards Zero Extinctions - setting out a pathway for threatened species conservation and recovery over the next 10 years. The Action Plan includes preventing any new extinctions of plants and animals, and protecting and conserving at least 30% of Australia’s land mass. By prioritising 110 species and 20 places, the Plan will drive action where it is needed most and will deliver flow-on benefits to other threatened plants and animals in the same habitats. The need for action to protect our plants, animals and ecosystems from extinction has never been greater. This was highlighted in the State of the Environment Report.

Important shifts in education that will improve the well-being and development of Australian children were among a range of issues considered at the 21st National Outdoor Education Conference held late September in the NSW Blue Mountains. The three-day conference saw 250 outdoor educators bring knowledge, skills, research and experience to the table to discuss how more of our community can benefit from outdoor education. Lori Modde, host of the National Outdoor Education Conference, explains “starting out as CEO of Outdoors New South Wales and ACT in 2020, I was astounded to learn how many schools do not value or embed outdoor education in their methods. “We have a whole nation out there that needs to understand the impacts of outdoor education on our future generations because it’s a solution to many problems in our society and everyone deserves an opportunity to be better.”

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GEELONG CRICKET HUB EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

ǪчǟŀǢǷчƼƃчǷƋūчEƐƃǷƋчŀƲţчɯƲŀƧчǪǷŀƄūчƼƃчǷƋūчFpM ч«ǷŀţƐǿưчǢūţūȖūƧƼǟưūƲǷчŀǷчdŀǢţƐƲƐŀч ŀǢƤϰчŀч͹ЙƧŀƲūчƐƲţƼƼǢчŜǢƐŜƤūǷчƋǿśчȗƐƧƧчśūч ŜƼƲǪǷǢǿŜǷūţчŀǷчǷƋūчǢūŀǢчƼƃчǷƋūчǪǷŀƲţϯч¸ƋūчŜūƲǷǢūчȗƐƧƧчǪƐǷчŀƧƼƲƄǪƐţūчFūūƧƼƲƄч ǢƐŜƤūǷч ƧǿśЫǪчƼǿǷţƼƼǢчǷǿǢƃчǷǢŀƐƲƐƲƄчƲūǷǪчŀƲţчŜƼƲǷŀƐƲч ƐƲţƼƼǢчŜƋŀƲƄūǢƼƼưǪϰчưūūǷƐƲƄчǢƼƼưчŀƲţчǢūŜūǟǷƐƼƲчŀǢūŀϯч$ǿūчƃƼǢчŜƼưǟƧūǷƐƼƲчƐƲчưƐţЙͶʹͶͷϰчǷƋūчŜūƲǷǢūчȗƐƧƧчśūчƧūŀǪūţчǷƼч ǢƐŜƤūǷч ÖƐŜǷƼǢƐŀчśȝчdŀǢţƐƲƐŀч ŀǢƤчȗƋƼчƐƲчǷǿǢƲчȗƐƧƧчƧƼƼƤчǷƼчŀǟǟƼƐƲǷчŀчǪǿƐǷŀśƧȝчǡǿŀƧƐɯūţчƼǟūǢŀǷƼǢчŀƲţчŜūƲǷǢūчưŀƲŀƄūǢϯ ¸ƋūчūȜǟǢūǪǪƐƼƲчƼƃчƐƲǷūǢūǪǷчŜŀƧƧǪчƃƼǢчǟŀǢǷƐūǪчǷƼчţūưƼƲǪǷǢŀǷūчǷƋūƐǢчƐƲǷūǢūǪǷчƐƲчƃƼǢưŀƧƧȝчǷūƲţūǢƐƲƄчƃƼǢчǷƋūчǢƼƧūϰчǷƋūƐǢчŜŀǟŀśƐƧƐǷȝчŀǪч ȗūƧƧчŀǪчŀƲȝчƃŀŜūǷǪчƼƃчǷƋūчƼǟūǢŀǷƐƼƲчǷƋūȝчȗƼǿƧţчŜƧŀǪǪƐƃȝчŀǪчƲūūţƐƲƄчǷƼчūȜƐǪǷчƃƼǢчǷƋūчǟŀǢǷȝчǷƼчśūчȗƐƧƧƐƲƄчǷƼчǷūƲţūǢϯ EƼǢчưƼǢūчƐƲƃƼǢưŀǷƐƼƲϰчȖƐǪƐǷчwww.kardiniapark.vic.gov.au/crickethubeoi £ūƄƐǪǷǢŀǷƐƼƲǪчŜƧƼǪū: Wednesday 30 November 2022

Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153 11

International tourism growth returns to 60% of pre-pandemic levels

Ardent Leisure secures Major Amusement Park Licences from regulator The Ardent Leisure Group has revealed that it has been issued with Major Amusement Park Licences (MAP Licences) under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) for its Dreamworld and Whitewater World properties by Queensland’s workplace health and safety regulator, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ). The granting of the MAP Licences represents the culmination of several years of extensive work by the business, in consultation with WHSQ, demonstrating a robust safety case that provides a holistic framework for the management of health and safety at both Dreamworld and Whitewater World. The licensing regime for amusement parks in Queensland is a world-first that was instigated by the Queensland Government in 2019 with the objective of achieving world-class best practice safety standards in theme park operations.

Australia’s mainstream media acknowledges attractions industry insurance crisis Following on from lobbying by the Australian Amusement, Leisure and Recreation Association (AALARA) and Australasian Leisure Management reporting on the issue over the past two years, Australia’s mainstream media has recently given extensive coverage to the insurance crisis impacting the attractions and amusement industry. Looking for backing for the creation of a Discretionary Mutual Fund, AALARA continues to lobby for the implementation.

Newly released statistics from the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer has shown that international arrivals climbed by 172% during the first seven months of 2022 compared to the same seven-month period in 2021. As a result, the tourism industry has picked up to 60% of the level it was at before the pandemic. Pent-up demand for international travel and the easing or removal of travel restrictions to this point are seen as key to this slow but steady recovery - 86 countries having no COVID-19related restrictions as of 19th September 2022. While the tourism industry is showing signs of improvement, many geopolitical and economic issues remain, according to UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. Because of the strong industry growth in developing countries, people worldwide feel more optimistic. The time is opportune to examine tourism’s future and its implications on people and the environment.

Float to Survive safety message to be trialled by Waverley and Randwick Councils The ‘Float to Survive’ safety message proposed by Bruce Hopkins and Ken Holloway of Surf Educators Australia and the Australian Pool and Ocean Lifeguard Association Incorporated (APOLA) is to be trialled on popular Sydney beaches in the Waverley and Randwick Council local government areas during the 2022/23 summer. This message will be promoted alongside the traditional beach safety message of ‘always swim between the red and yellow flags’, with development and promotion of the campaign will be a collaborative effort between Surf Educators International (SEI)/APOLA, Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA), Surf Life Saving NSW (SLSNSW) and the two councils.

Global attractions attendance report reveals 2021 as a year of recovery

AFL Grand Final’s MCG return welcomes largest crowd since 1971 Returning to the MCG after a two-year absence due to the pandemic, the 2022 AFL Grand Final was played in front of a crowd of 100,024 fans - the largest attendance since 1971. Having been held in Brisbane in 2020 and Perth in 2021, fans saw a dominant display from Geelong who stormed to a 20.13 (133) to 8.4 (52) victory against the Sydney Swans. While crowds returned to the MCG, ratings for the afternoon fixture for free-to-air broadcaster Channel 7 were disappointing with the Cats’ win seen by 2.18 million viewers in capital cities and 2.96 million viewers nationally, with 95,000 viewers on streaming platforms. 12 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

2021 marked a year of recovery for theme parks, waterparks and museums around the world, with the latest edition of TEA and AECOM’s definitive global attraction attendance report revealing an industry adapting to challenges resulting from the Coronavirus pandemic. The newly released 2021 TEA/ AECOM Theme Index and Museum Index highlights regional resiliency and ingenuity as operators found ways to capitalise on pent-up demand as visitor numbers improved. The 16th annual edition of the definitive industry report shows that, despite the ongoing impacts of COVID, increased visitor numbers to attractions were a result of successful vaccine rollouts, easing capacity restrictions and simplified travel in most parts of the world advising that’ although “some consumers still avoided large group settings - particularly at indoor venues - the market returned to a relatively successful ‘bounceback’ year with expectations for increased performance in 2022.”

AUSTSWIM reveals sustainability initiative AUSTSWIM is continuing its move towards integrating sustainability into its training courses. It has announced that its course training manuals are being moved online as a part of a Net Zero plan to reduce its carbon footprint. This development comes after industry and student consultation, and with further developments in their digital transformation coming to fruition. It is a big step that is set to enhance the online experience for every digital visitor to AUSTSWIM online. AUSTSWIM remains focused on delivering courses that exceed the minimum industry standards and continues to set the bar for the industry and work towards its vision of having every Australasian taught by an AUSTSWIM Licenced Teacher.

FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup records best ever attendance The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022 in Sydney is confirmed to have the highest attendance ever in the history of the competition. The confirmed number of attendance at the end of the Final and Third-Place Game is 145,519 accumulating the attendance from all games played at both the Sydney SuperDome and the Sydney Sports Centre throughout the duration of the competition. Ahead of the final, FIBA Secretary General, Andreas Zagklis noted “I think - I can only speak with one voice, but on behalf of both of David Reid, the chairman of the Local Organising Committee and myself - we’re extremely happy to have a sold out final day with the third-place game and the final to be attended by approximately 16,000 fans of women’s basketball.

Queenstown Cardrona Rocco Jamieson Credit Troy Tanner

Queenstown experiences best winter snow season in decades Queenstown has enjoyed a record winter with the snow conditions being described as the best in decades. A huge June snowfall set the mountains up for a long season of quality snow. Cardrona Alpine Resort opened on 11th June then briefly closed with too much snow. Cardrona Alpine Resort & Treble Cone General Manager Laura Hedley says what followed for the entire winter “was just wall-to-wall snow”. NZSki Chief Executive Paul Anderson says the snow at the Remarkables and Coronet Peak was also “wall-to-wall from the get-go! “It’s certainly one for the history books. Described by locals as the best snow in 30 years – it kickstarted a bumper season for us in terms of conditions, visitation numbers and open days.”

North Sydney Council calls for independent review of Olympic Pool redevelopment North Sydney Council is to undertake an independent review into the management of its delayed and over budget Olympic Pool redevelopment. The need “for an urgent inquiry” into the Council’s handling of the revamp of the iconic pool, which sits below the Sydney Harbour Bridge, was agreed by Councillors at a meeting on 11th October. Aiming to ensure the project remains on track, Mayor Zoe Baker said Council would appoint a suitably qualified consultant to review Council’s management of the project including its governance structure and financing model.

LOCAL UNDERSTANDING, GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE, TRUSTED ADVICE SCALE + REACH + CAPACITY + TRACK RECORD

Otium Planning Group is a contemporary sport and leisure consultancy providing trusted advice to the sport, recreation and leisure industries. Offices In Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Perth, Auckland, Christchurch, Sunshine Coast . Office: 304/91 Murphy Street, Richmond VIC 3121 +61 (0)3 9698 7300 info@otiumplanning.com.au www.otiumplanning.com.au Head Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153 13

Trojena, the planned moutain resort at Saudi Arabia’s NEOM city project.

OCA awards 2029 Asian Winter Games hosting rights to Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia is to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games at its Trojena mountain resort development in its NEOM city project. Awarded at the 41st General Assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia in the Cambodian capital of Phomh Phen, this will be the first edition of the Asian Winter Games to take place in a West Asian city. Set to open in 2026, Trojena is a planned resort in the underconstruction US$500 billion city of Neom, dubbed the ‘land of the future’ by Saudi Arabian authorities.

Sport New Zealand looks to build support for elite women’s sport In a year of two women’s world cups and a range of international sporting events, Sport New Zealand has launched ‘It’s Time’ a campaign aimed at promoting greater engagement in elite women’s sport. Research commissioned by Sport NZ shows awareness of female athletes is significantly lower than comparable male athletes, particularly in team sports. Undertaken by Gemba, the research shows that only one in three New Zealanders regularly watch women’s sport and more than half (53%) don’t expect to engage in women’s sport over the next 12 months, whether that’s watching on TV, attending matches, using social media or following media coverage.

Maitland City Council allocates $500,000 for swimming pool tile repair Maitland City Council has agreed $500,000 in repair works for remedial works at the ageing East Maitland Aquatics Centre. With recent investigations finding several major issues at the 45-year-old facility including slab movement and compliance defects, the Council signed off on the emergency repairs and upgrades at a meeting on 27th September. The investigation of the facility revealed several major issues including failing pool expansion joints resulting in substantial water loss and impeded slab movement resulting in ‘tenting’ of the tile bed. Set to start after an expedited selected tender process, the program will include a short term repair of the pool structure and tile bed to prevent water loss, in order to allow the Centre to reopen for the second half of the 2022/23 season.

Cricket Australia reveals $5.1 million loss for 2021/22 despite World Cup and Ashes wins Cricket Australia has revealed that it lost $5.1 million in the past financial year, largely due to COVID restrictions and the challenges of the changing broadcast environment. Following on from figures released at its recent annual general meeting, which also revealed an $14.3 million year-on-year decrease in total revenue to $391 million overall, Cricket Australia advised that its net deficit resulted from a drop in The December 2021 Ashes test at the Adelaide Oval. its international media rights income and “the costs of staging cricket throughout the pandemic”. The loss was incurred despite the reporting period sees victorious men’s and women’s Ashes series at home, a women’s 50-over World Cup win and a men’s T20 world title. 14 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

Auckland Stadiums advise of new approach to recreational drugs With Auckland Stadiums’ venues set to host a range of major events with an exciting line up of concerts, sport and festivals, the Auckland Council agency will be adopting new measures in relation to recreational drugs checking with KnowYourStuffNZ. While Auckland Stadiums’ stance on the abuse of alcohol and bringing prohibited substances into venues hasn’t changed, recreational drug checking volunteers from KnowYourStuffNZ will be onsite at Mt Smart Stadium for the first time. KnowYourStuffNZ provides drug related harm reduction services at events around New Zealand, including drug checking.

Evolt 360 completes $12 million capital raise to meet strong order pipeline Evolt 360, the Australian developer of a proprietary body composition scanning technology, has successfully completed a $12 million capital raising to meet its strong order pipeline. The raise, led by Bell Potter Securities, was backed by leading investors Regal Funds Management, Washington H Soul Pattinson and family office Smarter Capital. With the Gold Coastbased company experiencing strong growth in demand for the leading body composition scanner and software solution, the funds will be used to significantly increase manufacturing and to fulfil existing enterprise contracts. Gaining broad acceptance from the world’s leading gym and fitness brands and currently installed in 35 countries, Evolt 360 has demonstrated both proven export capability and strong scalability.

IN BRIEF

The Victorian Government is allocating up to $150 million to upgrade Mars Stadium, located in the Victorian regional city of Ballarat, in preparation for the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Aiming to improve accessibility, operational safety and functionality for Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat, Council has approved the awarding of the tender for the third stage of the redevelopment to Ballarat company A.W Nicholson Pty Ltd. Ahead of their upcoming 50th Anniversary celebrations next year, Adelaide Festival Centre has launched a new brand and website, making it even easier for theatre goers to purchase tickets and discover more about their favourite shows and events.

Hobart is set to become one of the nation’s greenest cities under a new project that will fast-track the City of Hobart’s Urban Street Tree Strategy. The City of Gold Coast has published new data revealing that the value of its sporting economy has hit $747 million - the highest in its history. Georges River Council is seeking proposals for the naming rights sponsorship of its Jubilee Stadium/Jubilee Oval in Kogarah home of the NRL Dragons. Port Macquarie Hastings Council has released the concept design for its planned Town Beach Outdoor Amphitheatre. The viewing site at one of Australia’s best known crocodile spotting sites and a major tourist attraction - Kakadu National Park’s Cahills Crossing - has reopened following a $3 million upgrade. JPE Design Studio and Warren and Mahoney have been appointed to design a new $80-million facility to replace the ageing Adelaide Aquatic Centre. ASM Global has been reappointed by the Queensland Government through Stadiums Queensland to manage Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium for a five-year period from 1st January 2023.

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Plus Fitness franchises transitioning with new club fit outs

Tropical North Queensland launches online hub for accessible tourism A partnership between bodies active in tourism and accessibility in Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef have launched a new online hub for visitors with mobility impairment to help select activities and itineraries in Tropical North Queensland. Advising that Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) had worked closely with Spinal Life Australia and Out There Travel Care to put together content showcasing experiences and accommodation accessible to all travellers, TTNQ Chief Executive, Mark Olsen commented “it has been an informative exercise discovering wheelchair-friendly beaches, Quicksilver’s water-powered lift to lower people into the water so they can snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef, and which rainforest boardwalks are best suited to wheelchairs.

Kew Recreation Centre roof collapses in the middle of the night The redevelopment of the Kew Recreation Centre in inner eastern Melbourne has been halted following the collapse of its roof. Media reports advised that residents were woken at about 10pm on 20th October by a loud noise that some thought resembled a large explosion. Following the incident, Victoria Police and Fire + Rescue attended the scene following which Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) representatives reportedly cordoned off the area and kept it secure. With investigations now being conducted by lead contractor ADCO and WorkSafe, the City of Boroondara said in a social post that no-one was hurt and there was no impact on neighbouring properties. Damage was contained to the construction site and early investigations suggest other areas of the facility under construction weren’t damaged.

ARV partners with Jobs Victoria to create 300 jobs for aquatics industry Through a partnership between Jobs Victoria and Aquatics and Recreation Victoria, the Victorian Government is creating 300 jobs for the aquatics sector, including swimming teachers, lifeguards, duty managers and customer service staff. The $5.7 million investment will deliver worker training and support including, First-Aid and CPR, lifeguard training and certified qualifications in swim teaching and water safety. 16 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

Plus Fitness has shared how its gyms across the country are transitioning with new branding and club fit outs. Plus Fitness Franchise Recruitment Manager, Steve Stucci wrote “our members from all over the country have been enjoying the latest and greatest features that a newly fitted Plus Fitness club has to offer. “From Bertram, Alkimos and Morley in Western Australia, to Southport in Queensland, Oakleigh South in Victoria, and not to mention plenty of clubs in NSW … we can’t wait for all the members to come and checkout these brand-new club designs and fit outs.” With the Viva Leisure-owned franchise group expanding, Stucci added “as we continue to revitalise and revolutionise clubs across our network, we also continue to open up brand new locations across the country.” Announced in April, the Australian owned and founded 24/7 gym franchise network, is undergoing a major rebrand across its nearly 200 clubs that will see the franchise revitalise its brand and club design as it enters the next stage of its growth.

Fitness and Lifestyle Group sells Jetts franchise business and HYPOXI weight loss brand Fitness and Lifestyle Group (FLG) has sold its Jetts Fitness business via Management Buy Out to a group led by Jetts Fitness Australia Chief Executive, Elaine Jobson (pictured). The sale encompasses 129 franchised clubs in Australia as well as international franchise businesses in the UK and the Netherlands. Fitness and Lifestyle Group retains full ownership of its Jetts Fitness brand and operations in New Zealand, Vietnam and Thailand, where the brand is already market leader by number of clubs. Fernwood Fitness has also acquired the licence for the HYPOXI weight loss brand FLG. Owner and Fernwood Fitness founder, Diana Williams advises “our acquisition of HYPOXI Australia is a true win for every member at Fernwood and is great for our demographic. “It can be difficult in the fitness industry to target the weight loss market outside of diet and exercise, and HYPOXI perfectly complements our network and the fitness routines of Fernwood members.”

Western Australian Government introduces laws banning thugs from entertainment precincts Western Australian Government has introduced legislation that will ban violent offenders and perpetrators of antisocial behaviour from popular entertainment precincts. Protected Entertainment Precincts will be established in Northbridge-Perth, Fremantle, Scarborough, Hillarys and Mandurah. Protected Entertainment Precincts (PEP) are named in honour of Giuseppe ‘Pep’ Raco, the victim of an unprovoked one-punch attack in Northbridge in July 2020.

Northern Territory Supreme Court rules on Director of Parks Australia damage to sacred site The Northern Territory Supreme Court has found the Director of Parks Australia is not criminally liable for damaging a Kakadu sacred site because the Commonwealth Government is not bound by the Territory’s sacred sites laws. The Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority (AAPA) brought the prosecution against Parks Australia in 2020 after a longrunning dispute culminated in accusations Parks Australia had built a walking track through the sacred site within the UNESCO world heritage-listed site without permission. Parks Australia started a legal fight in October 2021 over the allegations of damages caused to the sacred site at Gunlom Falls in the Northern Territory’s Kakadu National Park.

Students fill all 2022 Venue Management School places Returning to the Mantra on Salt Resort in the northern NSW coastal town of Kingscliff from 5th to 11th November, the Venue Management Association has advised that all places have been filled for its 2022 Venue Management School and Leadership Institute. Cancelled due to the pandemic over the past two years, the programs will welcome new Year 1 and Leadership Institute Students and the returning class of 2019 for their completion of Year 2 program. Advising that all the Instructors are looking forward to the program, Venue Management School and Leadership Institute Chair, Dean Hassall stated “what fantastic news it is to announce that our highly regarded industry leading educational program, the VMS has officially sold out.”

CrocArena at the CaPTA owned Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas

North Queensland’s CaPTA Group wins Global Award for Sustainable Tourism The CaPTA Group has been recognised as a global leader in sustainable tourism, winning the 2022 Skål International Sustainable Tourism Award in the Major Tourist Attractions category. The award was presented at the Opening Ceremony of the 81st Skål World Congress in the Croatian city of Kvarner on Friday 14th October, attended by CaPTA Director of Sales and Marketing Ben Woodward. For 21 years, Skål International has recognised best practices in sustainable and responsible tourism to enhance the visibility and grant recognition to entities from the travel and tourism industry around the world.

NSW Fair Trading urges consumers to avoid ticket resellers Consumers are being urged to avoid dealing with ticket reselling platforms that advertise tickets to popular events, often at exorbitant prices in violation of NSW laws. The move follows NSW Fair Trading fining eBay Australia over marked-up tickets for the NRL Grand Final tickets which were offered for sale on its platform.

World Health Organization reveals high cost of physical inactivity in first-ever global report Almost 500 million people will develop heart disease, obesity, diabetes or other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) attributable to physical inactivity, between 2020 and 2030, costing US$27 billion annually, if nations fail to take urgent action to encourage more physical activity among their populations. The Global status report on physical activity 2022, published by the World Health Organization (WHO), measures the extent to which governments are implementing recommendations to increase physical activity across all ages and abilities. Data from 194 countries show that overall, progress is slow and that countries need to accelerate the development and implementation of policies to increase levels of physical activity and thereby prevent disease and reduce burden on already overwhelmed health care systems.

New Zealand’s Ruapehu Alpine Lifts enters voluntary administration Ruapehu Alpine Lifts Limited (RAL), which runs the Whakapapa and Turoa ski fields on Mt Ruapehu on New Zealand’s North Island, has gone into voluntary administration. The move follows tough operating years for RAL during the pandemic when New Zealand’s ski areas were first closed and then unable to receive international visitors, followed by poor snowfalls and above-average temperatures during the current winter season. RAL, which claims that the two areas combined are the country’s largest ski resort, chose to enter administration after a request for a bailout from the New Zealand Government was rejected. RAL currently employs 196 people across the two ski fields and had to lay off more than 200 staff in August due to lack of snow. Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153 17

DESIGNED WITH NATURE AND NURTURE IN MIND.

Striving for Safety David Randall outlines Australia’s legislative requirements for Amusement Devices

David Randall at work (and below).

lthough Australia is not a major manufacturer of amusement devices, there are strict legislative requirements in each state and territory regarding the manufacture, operation and maintenance of amusement devices. AS/NZS 3533 Amusement Devices and Attractions series was developed as a guide for the requirements for managing amusement devices. In some states, this guide is mandatory, such as South Australia and until recently Western Australia, as it is referred to within their legislation and in other states and territories, it remains a best practice model as it is referred to in Codes of Practice which are again enforceable by law. There are various requirements imposed upon users and importers of amusement devices and I have summarised these as follows. Design Registration For an amusement device to be operated in Australia, it must

20 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

have a design registration number. To get a design registration number, the purchaser must have the ride independently verified that the ride is compliant to the standard to which it was manufactured. In Australia, we can use European, Australian or American standards as the reference documents. To achieve design verification, the process should be that the owner engages registered professional engineers within each discipline to review the various functions of the ride. In most cases, the following engineering professionals will be required: •A safety engineer to review the overall compliance of the ride against the relevant standard to which it was manufactured. The safety engineer will be a qualified engineer in a discipline such as mechanical engineering with an auditing and safety qualification. •A mechanical engineer to review the design of the mechanical components using finite element analysis modelling to ensure appropriate factors of safety have been achieved in the design. •A structural engineer will be engaged to determine the appropriate foundations for wind loading and that the structure is suitable for the loads imposed upon it during operation. This is a verification against the designer’s specification. •A control systems engineer will be engaged to ensure the control systems are compliant with the relevant standard. Significant work has been undertaken by the Regulator to ensure that any ride over 10 years of age has had its control systems reviewed to bring them up to current requirements. •An electrical engineer will be engaged to ensure that all electrical wiring and circuits are compliant with local regulations which refer to AS/NZS 3000. As part of the process, the DRA Safety engineer develops the following documents to ensure the maintenance requirements of the ride satisfy both the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and AS3533 requirements: •A critical components list (a component that if it fails will lead to damage of persons or property) with full non-destructive testing (NDT) requirements detailed for the user. •Restraint risk assessments to ensure the restraint complies

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Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153 21

A DRA Safety Specialists team member inspects rides at Warner Bros. Movie World.

for the acceleration forces experienced within the ride. This is a critical assessment, as failure to comply will prevent the ride from being granted design registration and thus operation in Australia. •Inspection checklists based on the OEM and AS3533.3 requirements. If variations from the OEM maintenance requirements are requested by the owner i.e. greasing monthly instead of weekly, then this must be approved by the Safety Engineer and documented in a management of change process. Once this work has been undertaken, each specialist engineer will complete a design verifier’s statement which is attached to the application for design registration. This is then scrutinised by the Regulator (state government workplace health and safety departments/agencies) to ensure all elements have been completed appropriately before a design registration number will be issued. Once a design registration number has been issued, then the user can apply to the Regulator for a registration number which can then allow the ride to be operated. In some states, registration is required annually such as in Queensland, in other states it is a five yearly requirement while in Victoria, registration is no longer required. In some cases, with the design registration of amusement devices, the above process is not adhered to, and the design registration is completed by a single engineer who is not competent in all technical aspects of the ride. The Regulator in some states will accept the single engineering sign off on the Design Registration application form. This may result in amusement rides being potentially operated which are not compliant with the relevant standards. DRA recommend that owners of rides arrange to have structural, electrical, mechanical and control systems sign offs for all rides as part of their Design Registration application with the following mandatory documentation developed and submitted with the application: 22 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

•Restraint risk assessments to provide evidence the restraint is a suitable classification for the amusement device. •The Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) and Critical Components List for the ride for annual inspection requirements. •Inspection schedules to the OEM with any variations justified and approved by the relevant Engineer. Annual Inspections State Regulators require that every operator of a ride have an annual inspection performed by a competent and qualified engineer to ensure that it has been maintained and operated to the OEMs and AS/NZS 3533 standards. There are specific criteria within the Regulation which must be assessed by that Engineer. The criteria are as follows: •That the operational history since the last annual inspection has been checked. •The amusement ride logbook is up-to-date. •That maintenance and inspections have been undertaken and recorded within the logbook. •That non-destructive testing and other tests have been conducted and records are maintained. •Electrical inspections in accordance with AS3533.3 clause 11.4.3 have been conducted and there is an electrical statement provided by a qualified person stating compliance with that requirement. The annual inspection requirements, although specified in legislation, are completed differently by the various engineers in the industry. This lack of consistency is concerning, and it is the Regulators responsibility to audit these reports to determine whether or not the Engineer has completed the task competently. In the case of DRA, a detailed report is developed which is 80% auditing of records and 20% inspection of the ride. For a large class type 5 roller-coaster, two days for two engineers may be required to complete the inspection and report and with a smaller class type 2 merry-go-rounds, a half to three-quarters of a day will be required. Issues that are recorded and reported in DRA reports are as follows: •Full review of the logbook including all items recorded for the past 12 months. •An asbestos register review and review of flammability tests of materials (if applicable). •An audit of instruction and training for operators of the device. •An audit of training and assessment of maintainers of the device. •A review of all maintenance records that have been completed and authorised appropriately. •A review of any repairs and alterations that have been made to ensure that engineering principles have been followed and engineering sign-offs completed where required. •That a critical components list has been developed and reviewed including the development of non-destructive testing requirements. •A review of the NDT records developed by the testing authority.

Carousel. Credit: pexels via Polverini lian.

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North Star Holiday Resort, Hastings Point, NSW

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BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park, Gold Coast, QLD

Oak Park Sports And Aquatic Precinct, Pascoe Vale, VIC

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Tattersalls Hobart Aquatic Centre, TAS

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Rollercoaster Credit: pexels via min an.

Once the information has been identified and recorded in the report, the inspection of the ride is conducted during its operation along with the performance of the daily inspection with staff. The report will then include the following elements: •That the ride is operated as per the manufacturer’s requirement. •That the patron restraints are effective, and the loading plan is followed. •A critical inspection of key elements of the ride i.e. envelope intrusions, suitable foundations, patron access, controls, interlocks operational, signage is clear etc. •Emergency plans are current and staff records are available for training in those procedures. •Noise level assessments have been completed at least once every five years and appropriate control measures taken. •That all electrical equipment is compliant with standards with no double-adapters, RCD protection is in place, switchboards are well labelled etc. An electrician will be required to provide a report that they have inspected the ride and it complies with the electrical requirements detailed in AS3533 Section Clause 11.4.3. •Control systems function as designed and a full functional test is conducted. This report with recommendations for continuous improvement is provided to the owner and a summary report in a one-page format is provided to the Regulator for registration purposes. Unfortunately, as the above process is not mandated by Regulation, some engineers may only provide an inspection of the key elements of the ride. This creates an unlevel playing field for engineers, as the diligent engineer who ensures the ride is being operated and maintained safely cannot compete effectively with an engineer that gives the ride a quick visual inspection and certificate. David Randall at work.

In the past, the Regulators who should be ensuring standards of inspection are maintained would generally only look for the logbook entry that an annual inspection has been completed by an Engineer without any consideration of the completeness of the inspection process. However, in recent times, Regulators during their inspection of amusement rides, have demonstrated that they review the annual inspection report provided by the engineer to ensure it is complete with appropriate electrical signoffs and covers off the elements detailed above with evidence provided. If no report is available to back up the annual engineering certificate, then the Regulator has the ability to prohibit the ride from operation. Major Inspections There is now a legislative requirement in Queensland for major inspections to be conducted every 10 years or upon recommendation of the consulting engineer. For a mobile ride, a 10 yearly inspection will require the ride to be completely dismantled and all components inspected, repaired or replaced as required. In many cases, this will require the ride to have its basic structure abrasively blasted, full non-destructive testing completed on all welds and repairs made before being reassembled. This process if completed properly will ensure any potentially hidden defects which are not detected during annual inspections can be addressed to ensure continued safe operation. An annual inspection certificate cannot be issued by an inspecting engineer if a major inspection has not been completed in the past 10-year period and hence the ride cannot be registered and therefore not be operated. In other states and Territories, this requirement is not mandated by Regulation but as the major inspection requirements are detailed in AS3533.3 and this standard is referred to in the Code of Practice - Managing the Risks of Plant, the requirement to comply is a “should”. A ride operator would be hard pressed to prove due diligence if an incident with their device occurred and the major inspection had not been completed. Major Inspections Recommendation Legislate the requirement for all amusement devices in all states/territories to undergo the 10 yearly major inspection as is required in Queensland. Engineers The legislation in each State requires the person performing the inspections to be competent, i.e. possess the skills and knowledge to perform the task, but this is self-regulatory. There is no requirement for engineers to demonstrate their competency to perform inspections of amusement devices.

24 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

An engineer in QLD must simply be a Registered Professional Engineer Queensland (RPEQ), and will be able to conduct inspections and sign off rides with minimal knowledge of the ride complexity. To practice in this area, it is a requirement for the engineer to hold valid professional indemnity coverage in the area they practice, and very few ride operators check the validity of the engineers insurance. It should be standard practice for all amusement device operators to request a current copy of the engineers insurance policy and check that it covers amusement devices, has $10 million coverage and is covered by a reputable company. Within the Board of Professional Engineers Qld there is an area of specialist classification for inspection of amusement rides and devices, but the requirement to hold this area of competence is not yet mandated. Unfortunately, being a new category of classification, the criteria for the competency assessment is still in development. Engineers Recommendation The Board of Engineers develop assessment criteria and experience requirements for entry into the professional area of “Inspection of Amusement Rides and Devices”. The Board of Professional Engineers require the engineer to provide a copy of their professional indemnity insurance as evidence as part of their application and the Board checks it covers the relevant area of practice. Summary Australia has very detailed legislative requirements for the operation and maintenance of rides to ensure public safety. Regulations apply to both fixed and mobile rides and are enforced by the Regulators of each state and territory. Harmonisation of the legislation across Australia has ensured a

Amusement rides. Credit: pexels via Pat Whelen.

consistent standard, however there is still variations that need to be addressed. The Engineers inspecting the rides are inconsistent with their approaches to annual and major inspections, and this inconsistency can lead to key inspection criteria being missed resulting potentially in accidents. Any accident is bad for all operators in the industry and hence standardisation of the inspection process, regular audits of the inspecting engineers by the Regulator and better assessment requirements for inspecting engineers coming into the industry could only improve the current situation. David Randall is Chief Executive of DRA Safety Specialists He can be contacted on 0438 268 279, E: davidr@drasafety.com.au

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Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153 25

New facilities at Indigo Shire Council’s Wahgunyah Recreation Reserve.

Accessible, Inclusive, Innovative

An award winner at the 2022 National Sports Convention, Tania Fountain looks at iDwala’s transformation of Indigo Shire Council’s Wahgunyah Recreation Reserve

ecognising the creation of one of the most inclusive and accessible regional multisport facilities in Victoria, the transformation of Wahgunyah Recreation Reserve involving community sport facility specialist iDwala was a recent winner in the Sport Surfaces category at the 2022 Australian Sport, Recreation and Play Innovation Awards. Funded through Indigo Shire Council’s receipt of a $1.09 million grant under the Victorian Government’s Community Sports Infrastructure Stimulus Program in August 2020, the project set out to revive the Reserve’s tennis and netball courts to cater for growing demand and compliant facilities. A major driver of the inclusive design and construction aspect of the project was to cater for the ageing population of the town on the southern banks of the Murray River, along with young families moving to the area. The older users of the Reserve required a safe and inclusive facility that provided easy access and suitable sports surfaces that were gentle on their joints and

26 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

suitable for slower paced recreation while a desire to increase social and structured tennis and netball for young families and their children had previously not been possible due to the deteriorated and even hazardous existing court surfaces and surrounds/run-offs. With inclusion at the heart of this project, the aim was to develop a facility catering for all persons that would help increase physical activity across the region - which it has achieved - driving more awareness for superior sporting facilities and participation from the broader catchment area, not only in the Shire of Indigo but in the Riverina region of southern NSW. Undertaken during 2021, iDwala’s design and construction process took special consideration of the need to deliver accessible and inclusive facilities that would ensure all participants and spectators were able to access, use and depart the entire facility easily and safely. As a result, the facility now features wider walkways and

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Courts at the Wahgunyah Recreation Reserve, before (above left) and after.

entry gates to allow for ease of mobility and disabled access to all ablution facilities. Spectator seating, player shelters and picnic tables all now offer designated wheelchair access along with uniquely designed water fountains that are accessible for all abilities. A comprehensive lighting upgrade was carried out with an advanced LED system installed that not only creates reduced spill lighting at night and optimal competition lighting, but also features lower control panels for wheelchair users. The system also incorporates a relay switch for delayed blackout and can also be operated remotely via a smartphone app. Offering full wheelchair friendly facilities that benefit both participants and spectators alike, the facility also meets the compliant court requirements of Tennis and Netball Victoria. The design of the Reserve was undertaken by iDwala in close partnership with the Council, a nominated and locally based working group of six persons and members of the Recreation Reserve Committee of Management. Extensive stakeholder engagement was carried out by iDwala throughout the design phase of this project where Managing Director George Devenish, an experienced sports court designer and consultant, explained and provided example visuals of the finished outcome to create a comprehensive understanding of the proposed plans, drawn from the original vision of all stakeholders. This approach helped the understanding of non-technical minded members of the working group, through to the retired engineers and now ‘tennis goers’ at the Wahgunyah Tennis Club. With such a diverse range of stakeholders within the working group aging between 28 and 70 years old, Devenish was successful in understanding their vision and identifying optimised solutions to further transform and improve the inclusiveness of the facility and help to increase accessibility of the overall reserve. During the design process Devenish identified that far more

28 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

inclusive design considerations were available to Councils than what was being considered. As he explains “councils who are looking to develop brand new or transform existing facilities into inclusive and accessible sports and recreation hubs would benefit from adopting the design considerations included in this facility.” Explaining the project’s “biggest challenge”, as being the construction of the new concrete pavement during a very wet winter, Devenish notes that “programming of works with suppliers and subcontractors was key to ensure that works were completed in appropriate sequence. “This also included an excellent working partnership with Council to ensure that all inspection and hold points were inspected with no delay which ensured that we managed to get the pavement constructed just as winter settled in. “We also selected to pour two courts at a time per day, using a laser screed to ensure volume of concrete works could be achieved and also the requirements for an even surface that conforms to the +/- 3mm over a three metre straight edge requirement.”

Surfacing Information Hard Court: Acrylic - Laykold Advantage - Manufactured by APT Asia Pacific Australian made Laykold Advantage was the selected surfacing system for the Reserve’s two netball/tennis multisport courts and the single netball court. Installed by Grand Slam Surfaces, the courts offer tennis players a medium to fast-paced court and a suitable slipresistant surface for netballers. Soft Court: Synthetic Turf - SuperGrasse - Manufactured by APT Asia Pacific Australian made and ITF certified SuperGrasse Court Turf PE was the selected surfacing system for the project’s two tennis courts. Installed by True Turf FX, this popular choice of sand filled synthetic grass is free from heavy metals and provides a cushioned experience for elderly players looking to enjoy tennis on a medium to slow court. Project Orientation Orientation of the site is positioned North to South, although the existing netball court that was purely resurfaced and amended to include suitable run-offs to meet Netball Victoria specifications, remains in an east to west orientation. That said, the redeveloped facility now has greater flexibility to coordinate four tennis matches at the one time, or three netball games at the one time which is further supported with exceptional LUX lighting for day or night activity, which it didn’t have before. All courts at the Reserve are now Netball and Tennis Australia compliant with all new court constructions developed in a north to south orientation. Outcomes In addition to widespread commendation for the project, its proven outcomes have already seen: •Significant increases in player registrations for the Wahgunyah Tennis Club •Wahgunyah Primary School extending its school sports programs to now include regular use of the courts •Social tennis has spiked with elderly members of the community now enjoying tennis on the synthetic grass courts which provide a slower pace •The Recreation Reserve Committee expanding its offering and introduce a mixed mid-week tournament •Membership registrations have increased at the Wahgunyah Football Netball Club with netball activation steadily increasing and now attracting additional participation from the NSW border town of Corowa. •Access between the courts and the club house no longer requiring members to travel across uneven grass/rocks, so more of the ageing population have started using the courts for recreational purposes.

Funding for the site came after several years of campaigning for new courts, with the Council contributing $121,318 in addition to the Victorian Government’s Stimulus Program funding. Devenish also acknowledges the work of Jayme Collins, Indigo Shire Council’s Coordinator of Capital Works and Wes Canny, President of Wahgunyah Football Netball Club (WFNC). Tania Fountain is Director at Fountain Marketing + Media Pty Ltd. Recognising innovations to get more people active in the community and reduce the environmental impact of sport, the Australian Sport, Recreation and Play Innovation Awards have been created by and are presented at the National Sports and Physical Activity Convention. The project has also been named the first place winner in the Design category at the 2022 Sports and Play Industry Association (SAPIA) Awards.

Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153 29

Anytime Fitness has looked to challenge stereotypes with its ‘Any Body, Any Time’ campaign.

Normalising disability Tommy Trout shares five ways operators can make people with a disability feel comfortable in a fitness environment

t’s not uncommon for people to make assumptions about the state of mental health when it comes to people who are living with a disability. A lot of this stigma often revolves around the nature of the disability and the stereotypes it carries. For example, people on the Autism spectrum are often portrayed in the media as robotic and emotionless, therefore they seem unaffected by issues like depression. However, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, a 2020 report by the Australian Institute of Heath and Welfare showed that people with a disability are four times more likely to experience high or very high psychological distress. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve come a long way in our understanding of mental health and how it impacts everybody - it’s significant. The mental health benefits of exercise are also significant and extend to all of us, disabled or not. Typically though, disability communities are often cautious due to their unique needs, sometimes due to compromised immune systems but also because they are rarely included in marketing material which does little to make them feel welcome. However, with around 20% of Australia’s population living with a disability, here lies an exciting opportunity for the fitness industry to make them feel welcome and supported in a fitness environment. This is something that Anytime Fitness Australia have taken on as a challenge in their Any Body Any Time campaign and, more recently, our collaboration with Anytime Fitness has

30 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

taught us about the barriers that keep Aussies living with a disability from engaging with the industry and the opportunities within each. Seven years ago, when my brother Jack (who is on the autism spectrum) and I first walked in to Anytime Fitness Drummoyne, they were very supportive of having us in their gym. The team were very receptive to hearing our suggestions and feedback as to how to make the gym even more welcoming to those with a disability. Over time, I decided to put the WeFlex program together, and Anytime Fitness, the first people who I presented it to, were more than happy to get on board and implement the program. Now, we send their clients to WeFlex accredited trainers who are trained to work with certain disabilities. Here are some of our findings: Accessibility: Is more than just ramps. Accessibility can also cover the volume of the music, the brightness of the lights and the configuration of the door at the top of the ramp. Inclusivity: What good is an accessible fitness environment if the space inside isn’t inclusive? Accessibility is getting inside - inclusion is about how you’re treated once you’re there. Representation: When was the last time you saw someone with a disability in the marketing of a fitness brand? Even better, when did you last see a photo where the disability

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wasn’t the focus? We need to normalise people with a disability exercising like anybody else. Professional Development: Get your staff upskilled on disability inclusion and the unique needs of people living with disability. At WeFlex, our programs for trainers are co-designed or being facilitated by someone living with a disability. Employment: An effective way to normalise disability in fitness environments is to hire people with a disability. This sends a powerful and inclusive message not just to prospective clients but also existing ones. This workforce is one of incredible, untapped potential. The fitness industry in Australia has an incredible opportunity to evolve into a truly inclusive and pioneering space for people with disability, especially with clubs like Anytime Fitness Australia leading the charge. For us, while WeFlex was born in an Anytime Fitness club, what we achieved can be replicated in any club environment. It was a game-changer for us, and can be for the millions of people living with a disability in Australia. Tommy Trout is the founder of WeFlex.

Tommy Trout (left) and his brother Jack.

The WeFlex story WeFlex was founded by Tommy Trout whose brother is and late father was on the autism spectrum. With his father having died early from preventable health conditions, Trout went out of his way to try and help his brother get fit and healthy. During a lengthy hunt for a suitable gym, he frequently found that once trainers learned that his brother was on the spectrum, he would get turned down as the trainers did not know how to accommodate his needs. This led to Tommy becoming a personal trainer himself so that he could train his brother. They also found Anytime Fitness in Drummoyne who were more than happy to have his brother as a member. Going on to found WeFlex in 2020, he created a program with training modules designed to upskill trainers by teaching them how to work with people who have a disability, developing the program in partnership with both clinical experts and people with lived experience to create modules that see trainers learn from people who have a disability. 32 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

AUSactive Chief Executive, Barrie Elvish sees that an individual’s ability to push through physical, mental and emotional circumstances while also recognising the cues to manage their mental health and capacity to cope with stress barriers as being of vital importance. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, more than 3.4 million Australian adults saw a medical professional last year for their mental health. Elvish explains “mental health takes in everything from your current mood, how you feel about yourself and the world around you, diagnosable mental health conditions such as anxiety, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, depression and OCD related behaviours. “But mental fitness is different. Mental fitness focuses on how you approach mental health and the way you keep yourself mentally healthy. Importantly, it’s something we can actively work on and improve.” AUSactive last year partnered with independent research house The Leadership Factor and Deakin University to commission one-of-a-kind benchmark research to assess the true state of the nation. Conducted in October 2021 with more than 1,000 Australians, the survey found that Australians are increasingly aware of the importance of mental health, with 57% of Australians reporting having a greater focus on their mental wellbeing as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns. Elvish added “extensive research shows that regular exercise is associated with a lower likelihood of developing depression or anxiety. Mounting evidence is also linking physical activity with positive mental health and a sense of purpose in life. “Positively, the survey found that 54% of Australians report that exercising regularly and staying healthy is a core part of their identity, with just 20% disagreeing. “The survey found that 45% of Australians who didn’t do any strength training each week identified as languishing, compared to 27% who met the recommended guidelines of strength training on at least two days a week. “Relatedly, 74% of Australians who belong to a fitness centre or studio report that regular exercise helps give them the energy they need to be supportive to their loved ones and family, compared to 40% among those without membership.” From a commercial perspective, in July, Ty Menzies, Global Chief Executive at Lift Brands wrote about the importance of mental wellness, stating “for many individuals the physical results are no longer a key motivator, with mental wellness being the sole target of their fitness journey.” Market researcher IBISWorld recently reported that many young adults are now taking up low to moderate intensity non-sport activities for overall mental health and emotional wellbeing.

People living with a disability •42% of people with a disability would rate their health as poor or fair compared with only 7% of the general populati0on •32% of people with a disability experience high or very high psychological distress compared with 8% of the general population •72% are overweight or obese compared with 55% of the general population •76% have an increased risk of poor health due to their waist circumference compared to 59% •72% do not do enough physical activity for their age compared to 52% Source. Health of People with a Disability, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, July 2022

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Gone too Far? Dr Betul Sekendiz questions limitations of liability he health and fitness industry is an important contributor to the national economy through direct and indirect savings T in health care costs and productivity associated with the promotion and benefits of regular exercise. Despite its important and significant role in the health and wellbeing of the general population, the standardisation of the fitness industry in Australia has been self-regulatory -with the exception of fair trading and contracts. In several states and a territory, there are mandatory codes of practice specific for fitness service suppliers to protect consumer rights. These are: •Australian Capital Territory - Fair Trading (Fitness Industry) Code of Practice 2009 (ACT) •Queensland - Fair Trading (Code of Practice - Fitness Industry) Regulation 2003 (Qld) •Western Australia - Fair Trading (Fitness Industry Code of Practice) Regulations 2020 (WA) •South Australia - Fair Trading (Fitness Industry Code of Practice) Regulations 2007 (SA) Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) has also published guidelines for the fitness industry based on case law and has been actively working with fitness service suppliers to remove or modify potentially unfair consumer contract terms by businesses. These include automatic renewals and variation to services without a notice, penalties for member cancellation, and penalties for breaches of contract. Another area of contract terms regulated under the consumer protection laws is the limitation of liabilities. Under Australian consumer laws, fitness service suppliers can incorporate exclusion clauses or waivers into their contracts to prevent the signers from holding the facility and their employees responsible for injuries that occur during an activity. 36 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

The laws and the use of waivers In Australia, under the Australian Consumer Law (2010) (Section 60 in Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth)[CCA] formerly known as the Trade Practices Act [TPA] 1974) all consumer contracts have a warranty that the supply of services will be rendered with due care and skill. Section 64 of the Australian Consumer Law makes any term of a contract invalid that aims to exclude, restrict or modify the application of this consumer warranty. As a result of the Tort Reforms in Australian law two decades ago (which focused on reducing general damages payments for minor claims and eliminating trivial claims), the Trade Practices Amendment (Liability for Recreational Services) Act 2002 section 68B was incorporated in the TPA, that allowed certain recreational services to use exclusion clauses or waivers to limit or exclude liability for negligence and/or breach of an express or implied warranty that the services would be supplied with due care and skill, fit for purpose, and within a reasonable time (when no time is set). Relevant provisions can be found in the CCA section 139A, some state and territory fair trading laws, and similarly in the Civil Liability Acts (CLA) of Western Australia and NSW. The legislation describes a recreational service as a sporting activity or a similar leisure-time pursuit, or any other activity that involves a significant degree of physical exertion or physical risk and is undertaken for recreation, enjoyment and leisure purposes. These reforms were purported to be necessary by the government to preserve the ‘Australian way of life’ as a result of the perceived crisis in public liability insurance and the emerging ‘litigation culture’, which was later criticised for having no empirical foundation. There were also concerns that limitation of liabilities granted

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In Belna Pty. Ltd. v. Irwin (2009) the plaintiff Ms Irwin and the defendant entered into a contractual agreement when Irwin became a member of the fitness facility. After the contract was signed, one of the fitness instructors employed by the defendant developed an exercise program for Irwin. While performing leg lunges, as prescribed by the fitness instructor’s program, Irwin suffered a knee injury. As a result, Irwin sued the facility management for breach of duty and breach of contract. At trial, the judge deemed the prescribed exercise regime, particularly the lunges, unsuitable and beyond the plaintiff`s capacity to safely perform due to the history of a knee injury that was identified during the pre-exercise screening. The judge also contended that the activities undertaken by Ms Irwin were not ‘recreational’ as she undertook them to lose weight and get fit and therefore the assumption of risk defence under the CLA could not apply. Accordingly, the judge ruled in favour of the plaintiff finding breach of duty of care. When the defendant appealed to trial court`s decision, they argued that the exclusion clause in the contract excluded them from liability under section 5N of the Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW) which states: (1) Despite any other written or unwritten law, a term of a contract for the supply of recreation services may exclude, restrict or modify any liability to which this Division applies that results from breach of an express or implied warranty that the services will be rendered with reasonable care and skill.

Fitness lunge via pexels Credit: Anastasia Shuraeva.

to recreational service suppliers reduced consumer protection in considerably more situations than actually was intended. This was due to the extremely wide definition of the ‘recreational services’ that goes beyond including activities which are inherently dangerous, such as skydiving or bungee-jumping to include activities which are not, such as a boot-camp session at the park. Enforceability of waivers Overall, an enforceable waiver would need to be: (a) part of the contract, (b) appropriately worded to cover the breach that occurred, (c) reasonably brought to the attention of the other party before the contract was made, and (d) not prohibited by a written law. In Australia, recreational service suppliers may use a waiver to only limit their liability for death or personal injury, including illness (mental or physical), but not for property loss or damage. In addition, reckless misconduct by the recreational service supplier must not have caused the injury or death, where the supplier was aware or should reasonably have been aware of a significant risk that could result in the harm, and engaged in the conduct despite the risk and without adequate justification. In Victoria, under Regulation 6 of the Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Act 2012, recreational service suppliers must also notify the consumer in writing by using the exact wording in the contract form prescribed in Schedule 2 of the Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Regulations 2022. Almost all fitness facilities in Australia use ‘waivers’ that are perceived to be the most important risk management practice after ‘insurance’ (Sekendiz, 2014; Sekendiz et al. 2016). However, in the last two decades case law in Australia has demonstrated how waivers used by fitness service suppliers can be ineffective against claims of negligence. 38 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

The exclusion clause utilised by the defendant stated: It is my expressed interest in signing this agreement, to release the … Fitness Centre, its Directors, Franchises, Officers, Owners, Heirs and Assigns from any and all claims for professional or general liability, which may arise as a result of my participation, whether fault may be attributed to myself or its employees. I understand that I am totally responsible for my own personal belongings whilst at the Centre. I also understand that each member or guest shall be liable for any property damage and/or personal injury while at the Centre (Belna Pty. Ltd. v. Irwin, 2009, para. 38). However, the appellate judge found that the activities were recreational. On the pre-exercise questionnaire Ms Irwin wrote her short-term goal in undertaking the activities was to ‘enjoy life’ and her long-term goal was to ‘lose weight and become fit’ that did not distract from the meaning of recreational activity. Here, the judge identified several problems with the wording of the exclusion clause including use of phrases that are vague and difficult to understand (e.g. “expressed interest”, “professional or general liability”, “fault ... attributed to myself or its employees”, Belna Pty. Ltd. v. Irwin, 2009, para. 39). The judge also gave consideration to the semantics of the word “release” stating that a release acts to terminate any legal liability only after it occurred and that therefore the clause was not an exclusion of liability. As a result, the appellate judge concluded the exclusion clause used by the defendant (Belna Pty.Ltd) was ‘so vague as to be meaningless’ and did not protect them from liability.

Credit: Shutterstock.

I am aware that my use of premises and its facilities and my participation in the classes and programs conducted by the … Health Club may involve strenuous activity and special risk (special or otherwise) associated with such use and participation and I release … Health Club and its directors, employees, contractors, and agents (the ‘staff’) from all liability and responsibility whatsoever, for personal injury, property damage or death however caused but not limited to the negligence (whether passive or active) of … Health Club or its staff or any other person using the premises (Powell v. JFIT Holdings Pty Ltd t/as New Dimensions Fitness Centre, 2020, para 126). Fitness Equipment via pexels Credit: Ruslan Khmelevsky.

In Kovacevic v. Holland Park Holdings Pty. Ltd. (2010) the defendant gym operator relied on a waiver as part of a gym membership contract that stated the plaintiff: (a) used the gym at her own risk, (b) would not hold the operator responsible for personal injury she suffered, and (c) waived any legal claims for any injury, loss or damage she suffered (para. 25). In their defence they argued that gym activities fell under the definition of ‘recreational services’ in section 68B of the TPA and therefore the waiver in their contract was appropriate to effectively bar the legal action brought by the plaintiff. Section 68B (2) of the TPA, defines “recreational services” as: (a) a sporting activity or a similar leisure time pursuit; or (b) any other activity that: (i) involves a significant degree of physical exertion or physical risk; and (ii) is undertaken for the purposes of recreation, enjoyment or leisure. However, the judge did not find the exercise classes the plaintiff undertook were similar to a sporting activity or similar leisure time pursuit, even though the exercises may have had elements of a certain degree of physical exertion and risk. Furthermore, the TPA required the exclusion, restriction or modification to be limited to liability for death or personal injury. The waiver the plaintiff signed in the contract “... extended expressly to all claims for articles lost, stolen or broken at the centre, or for loss or damage to any other property including automobiles and contents” (Kovacevic v. Holland Park Holdings Pty Ltd, 2010, para. 37).Therefore, the waiver was found to be void and the defendant could not avoid liability for breach of duty of care for the safety of the plaintiff. More recently, in Powell v. JFIT Holdings Pty Ltd t/as New Dimensions Fitness Centre (2020), the plaintiff sustained serious injuries to her lower back while attempting to clear the gym floor of heavy weights left by previous users before she could safely start her exercise routine. In an attempt to bar the plaintiff`s injury claim, the defendant sought to use a waiver defence based on section 5N of the Civil Liability Act 2020 (NSW). The waiver signed by the plaintiff stated:

In considering the validity of the waiver, the judge conducted a factual test with reference to Goode v. Angland (2017) to determine whether the activity of clearing up the gym floor at the time of the plaintiff`s injury could be described as a recreational activity under the Act.The judge stated that “whilst the plaintiff was intending to pursue physical fitness exercises, which can be a recreational activity, that activity had not yet actually commenced at the time she was injured, as she was engaged in the preliminary activity of clearing a space to enable that activity to proceed” (Powell v. JFIT Holdings Pty Ltd t/as New Dimensions Fitness Centre, 2020, para 142). As a result, the waiver was not a valid defence and the defendant was found liable for breach of duty of care for the safety of the Plaintiff due to failing to ensure a reasonably safe training environment free from obvious hazards of injury. Earlier and emerging case law demonstrates that while fitness service suppliers can incorporate waivers into their contracts to prevent liability claims, the enforceability of waivers is complicated and court decisions are likely to be lenient towards the injured in the absence of evidence of reasonable due care and skill by the supplier to protect the safety and health of the participant. It is also evident from case law that fitness services may not always fall under the definition of a ‘recreational service’ for a waiver to be a valid defence against a negligence claim. In an increasingly health-conscious society with more individuals using fitness services primarily for health reasons or referrals by their health practitioners, it is crucial that fitness service suppliers ensure to have a comprehensive risk management program that is regularly reviewed and revised to reasonably meet their duty of care requirements, in the first place. Dr Betul Sekendiz, PhD is a risk management expert and fitness industry thought leader. A founder and Managing Director of Fitness Industry Risk Management Consulting (FIRMC®), which provides evidence-based risk management consultancy services to fitness businesses, Dr Sekendiz has been an expert witness on high profile legal liability cases and is the Chair of the Australian Fitness Industry Standards Council.

Fitness plank via pexels Credit: monstera.

Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153 39

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Maximum Effort As the Australian Mass Participation Sporting Events Alliance prepares to host its inaugural conference, Nigel Benton looks at the mass participation sector’s post pandemic recovery

t took the challenges of Coronavirus and lockdowns for the various organisers of marathons, fun and colour runs, stair Iclimbs, obstacle races and multisport events that broadened participation by everyday competitors in disciplines such as running, cycling and triathlon to coalesce as an industry group. With all sharing the same challenges of not being able to operate, the Australian Mass Participation Sporting Events Alliance (AMPSEA) was formed in May 2020 by a group of industry leaders within the sector with the goal of finding a safe solution to delivering mass participation sporting events (MPSEs) in the new landscape of COVID-19. With AMPSEA representing more than 500 organisations involved in MPSEs, Chris Heverin, Managing Director of Spartan Australia/New Zealand and AMPSEA Chair, advised of the sector’s value back in June 2020, stating “each year, millions of Australians participate in fun runs, marathons, ocean swims, community cycling events, triathlons and challenging obstacle course racing. “These mass participation sporting events bring people together, benefit public health, create 11,000 jobs, drive growth in regional economies and raise $70 million each year for over 2,500 charities.” 40 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

In November 2020, AMPSEA took an argument for a $220 million stimulus package to “ensure our industry can survive” to Canberra, with Heverin and AMPSEA Director Lisa Dowsett along with former Australian Institute of Sport Director, Rob de Castella meeting with the offices of the Federal Minister for Sport, Federal Minister for Tourism and the Parliamentary Running Group. AMPSEA’s argument was that with other industries such as the arts, zoos, and live events gaining funding, why not the mass participation events industry - highlighting that during 2020 the sector had seen over 19,000 events cancelled, 11,000 jobs lost and over $75 million for charities not able to be raised. While not succeeding in attracting specific government support, AMPSEA, staged a series of online events, generated awareness for MPSEs and produce best practise risk mitigation protocols to fast-track mass participation events back to business. With events returning this year, AMPSEA is supporting the industry in the post-COVID world where organisers face reduced entry levels, challenges in attracting sponsorship, huge increases in input and other costs and current rises in the cost of living combined with significant staff and volunteer turnover.

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A sector that had grown over almost two decades, MPSEs were facing challenges even before COVID. The growing number of events had seen a fall in participation numbers in some cases while the crowded calendar saw demands for sponsorships grow, with increased competition in securing commercial partnerships. The Australian Triathlon Endurance and Cycling (ATEC) Expo was a short-lived event held in Sydney 2015 and 2016, before event organiser Informa Events halted it in 2017. In addition, through 2019, the financial troubles of high-profile US-based market leader Tough Mudder had been played out in the media, with the company forced into involuntary bankruptcy before being purchased by competitor Spartan Race. Now, in a post-COVID world, MPSEs are facing reduced entry levels, difficulties in attracting sponsorship and huge increases in input and other costs, combined with significant staff and volunteer turnover. However, participants’ motivation for personal achievement, to improve their health and fitness and engaging socially in the various event disciplines that include and combine running, cycling, triathlon and other challenges, see MPSEs well placed to survive the current challenges. In addition, MPSEs are also significant economic and tourism drivers. As an example, the annual Noosa Triathlon contributes $22 million to the local economy, supports nearly 100,000 visitor nights and brings more than 22,000 visitors to the region each year. In a bid to encourage a return to mass participation events in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the #togetherwemove initiative has been launched by Abbott World Marathon Majors and Mass Participation World. Looking to encourage runners back to their in-person

events, the partnership has created an inspirational video and marketing toolkit for running events across the world to remind participants and supporters of the joy of taking part together, overcoming adversity together and the wonderful achievements and experiences that mass events provide. MPSEs are also getting wider recognition. In mid-2020, World Athletics’ four-year Strategic Plan set out plans to broaden the mass participation components of its business, repositioning some of its non-stadium running events to take advantage of what it called “the mass participation boom” and align them more closely with the health and social objectives of host cities. World Athletics’ plan also referred to creating “weekend festivals of running” combining “a significant mass participation component” with professional road events like the World Half Marathon Championships and the World Race Walking Team Championships. It also stated an objective to have cross-country running confirmed as an Olympic sport. More recently, MPSEs Olympic potential has the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM), modern pentathlon’s international governing body, reported to be considering adding obstacle course racing (OCR) as of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. With obstacle course racing rising in popularity and controversy surrounding equestrian disciplines, UIPM could potentially replace equestrian show jumping in the Games event. Welcoming this Heverin noted “this is incredible justification for the sport, the athletes and the community who have supported Spartan and OCR over the years.” In addition, Heverin sees MPSEs as playing an increasingly important and recognised role in Australia’s sport and recreation landscape, emphasising “a key pillar and objective of the Australian Government for the 10 years leading into the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and then beyond, is ‘participation’ by the Australian public. “The mass participation events industry is the largest cohort in the participation space with over 3.4 million Australians, but is currently unrepresented and unrecognised, which does not make sense.” Heverin sees that the AMPSEA Conference will “provide industry members the opportunity to engage with government officials, develop meaningful relationships and explain our case for support and inclusion within the government funding and support framework. “I urge all event operators and industry suppliers to roll up their sleeves and support AMPSEA by showing up in numbers at the 22nd November Conference in Sydney and get involved in determining a positive future for our industry.” Nigel Benton is Publisher of Australasian Leisure Management.

Blackmores Sydney Running Festival. Credit: Abbott Abbott World Marathon Majors.

Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153 41

Wheels in Motion Aaron Flanagan outlines the success of the Brisbane Cycling Festival July, AusCycling celebrated success at the National Sports Physical Activity Convention held in Melbourne, with IitsnandBrisbane Cycling Festival winning in two categories at the Sport, Recreation and Play Innovation Awards. The Festival claimed the Major Event Promotion Award for providing community opportunities to grow participation by aligning a mass participation or a major spectator event. The Festival also secured the overall Sport, Recreation and Play Industry Award for Innovation having been judged as the organisation or event that has activated or has the potential to activate significant numbers of people across Australia due to their work. For AusCycling and its major funding partners, Tourism & Events Queensland and Brisbane Economic Development Agency along with NX Sports who deliver the Tour de Brisbane within the festival, securing these awards was tremendous recognition for its steadfast commitment to deliver the festival through challenging pandemic impacted times. The Brisbane Cycling Festival is a great example of a major festival developed and delivered as a genuine partnership Crowd at AusCycling Track National Championships

42 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

between government agencies, major event owners and the community organisations that deliver affiliated events during the festival window. Back in May 2018, the concept of the festival was collaboratively imagined by AusCycling, Tourism & Events Queensland and Brisbane Economic Development Agency as a strategic opportunity to bring existing and potential new cycling events together under a collective festival umbrella and, as a result, the Brisbane Cycling Festival was established. The first edition of the Brisbane Cycling Festival was successfully held in April 2019, with the 2020 edition cancelled part way through due to the arrival of the pandemic and despite the impacts of subsequent border closures and lockdowns the festival was delivered in 2021 and 2022 achieving substantial participation growth annually. AusCycling’s vision for the Brisbane Cycling Festival is to deliver Australia’s largest multi-discipline cycling festival embracing every pathway of the sport from learn to ride to elite national and international competition with an inclusive focus. Hosted annually in the March/April period, the major pillars of the four-week festival include the AusCycling Track National Championships hosted at the world class Anna Meares Velodrome and the Tour de Brisbane Gran Fondo which incorporates the AusCycling National Road Series and also enjoys status as a UCI World Gran Fondo Series Qualifier event. In 2022, the festival also hosted the Oceania Championships for all disciplines which was the first time all disciplines had been hosted in a single destination. The Tour de Brisbane is a unique event being the only mass participation bike ride encompassing various distances up to 110km on fully closed road in and around a capital city. Participants enjoy features such as crossing the landmark Storey Bridge and passing through the city’s busway and tunnel network and taking on the gruelling Mt Cootha climb. Supporting the major events is an affiliated program of events

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delivered by an array of passionate community groups and private operators. These events include learn to ride program initiatives for people of all ages, competition events, lifestyle events and bike tourism activities such as the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail. In 2021, the festival made a strategic decision to create a three day Festival Village hub supporting the Tour de Brisbane at the Brisbane Showgrounds. With the support of Lendlease’s King Street Precinct adjacent to the showgrounds, AusCycling has established an exciting three day program that incorporates a showcase for the sport of cycling including street criterium racing under lights, cyclocross, mountain bike and BMX demonstrations, come and try activities and the Active Lifestyle Expo showcasing health and wellbeing. Brisbane Cycling Festival Active Lifestyle Expo.

44 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

Sean Muir, AusCycling General Manager of Major Events and State Manager - Queensland, said that “the awards success was due recognition to the steadfast commitment and collaboration of enormous number of stakeholders in what has been a tremendously challenging time for the sport and events industry. “Through this period, we have established a new home for the Brisbane Cycling Festival at the Brisbane Showgrounds, added many new products and events and achieved outstanding growth in all areas whilst primarily being an intrastate festival due to restrictions” . In 2022, the Brisbane Cycling Festival key results included: •Delivered 141 affiliated festival events and activities offered across 24 days. •Attracted 43,000 participants and attendees to festival events. •Welcomed 5,580 Tour de Brisbane participants. •Achieved a $12.36 million economic impact. •Increased commercial income by 38% •Grew the Active Lifestyle Expo by 30% with 100% of exhibitors committed to returning in 2023. •Engaged 28 suburbs of Brisbane through the festival program. Looking forward, festival stakeholders anticipate that the best is yet to come with Brisbane 2032 on the horizon. Muir added that “Brisbane 2032 creates an exciting decade of opportunity for the sport of cycling. It presents an incredible window to inspire our youth to get involved in the sport whether that be on the road, off-road or on the track and to leverage our festival platform to encourage the community to get involved in bike riding. “Brisbane is a wonderful cycling city and whether it be for health, leisure or to commute to work we want to use the festival as an enabler to encourage more people to participate in the sport and in doing so create new fans as we look forward to home Games in 2032”. Planning is well underway for the 2023 Brisbane Cycling Festival and organisers are looking forward to sharing the festival experience with more visitors from interstate and overseas. The Brisbane Cycling Festival kicks off with the AusCycling Track National Championships on 15th March and concluding on 16th April. The program will include Oceania Championships and the Brisbane Cycling Festival Village at the Brisbane Showgrounds incorporating the Active Lifestyle Expo will take place from 31st March to 2nd April. The Tour de Brisbane will take to the city on Sunday 2nd April next year. Aaron Flanagan is Associate Partner at Eighty20 Partners and the Director of the Brisbane Cycling Festival.

People Fluidra appoints Jeremy Smith as General Manager of new commercial business Fluidra Australia has announced the creation of Fluidra Commercial as a dedicated business unit within the company - appointing Jeremy Smith as General Manager of the new division. The move follows Fluidra’s acquisition of S.R.Smith in 2021, and brings together the S.R.Smith Australia and Fluidra Commercial teams who collectively contribute decades of knowledge and experience to architects, consultants and commercial pool builders

AUSactive National Awards recognise Mel Tempest’s lifetime industry achievement 19 years after opening her first fitness location, Mel Tempest, owner of the Ballarat Body & Soul Genesis 24/7 gym and the creator of the Gym Owners Fitness Business Podcast and Womens Leaders Fitness Business Podcast, has been inducted into AUSactive’s ‘Roll of Honour’. Presented at the AUSactive National Awards, Tempest was acknowledged with the Australian fitness industry’s highest award acclamation.

Karen Lunn announced as first woman to chair Australian Golf Industry Council

Vale: Sue Nattrass Former Adelaide Festival and Melbourne International Festival artistic director Sue Nattrass has died aged 81. Nattrass became the first female Artistic Director of the Melbourne International Festival in 1998 and 1999 and was appointed Adelaide Festival’s Artistic Director in the lead-up to the 2002 event. In 2002 she was named as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) while a Helpmann Award is named after her.

Karen Lunn, currently Chief Executive of the WPGA Tour Australasia, has become the first woman to chair the Australian Golf Industry Council. Lunn was elected to replace Gavin Kirkman, Chief Executive of the PGA of Australia, who served two terms over four years at the helm of the all-encompassing industry body.

eps’ new management team for Australia and New Zealand Event infrastructure service provider, eps, has announced a new management team for the business in Australia and New Zealand. Dean Andreula will be responsible for Sales, Marketing, and Project Management as Managing Director while Anthony Pezzimenti, looks after Business Administration, Legal & Finance. Both will be supported by Jason Bradley, Head of Logistics & Warehouses for eps in Australia and New Zealand.

Chair transition at Netball Australia Wendy Archer has taken on the role of Chair of Netball Australia, replacing Marina Go in what the body described as “a planned transition”. Go’s departure came following a reported dispute between Australian Diamonds players and the governing body over a $15 million sponsorship of the sport’s high performance program by mining conglomerate Hancock Prospecting.

Send your people news to leisure@ausleisure.com.au

Andrew Leslie named Chief Executive at Wellington’s Nuku Ora Following the departure of its former Chief Executive Phil Gibbons in early July, the Board of Nuku Ora, the agency promoting an active Wellington, has announced Andrew Leslie as its new Chief Executive. Leslie has been Chief Executive of Recreation Aotearoa over the past 11 years. Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153 45

Good to be Back?

Muddy festivalgoers Credit: Shutterstock.

Karen Sweaney charts how rising costs, crowded calendars and La Nina are presenting a new tide of challenges for live events and outdoor entertainment he reopening of the economy after the pandemic was meant to herald a massive return to live entertainment. After all, T ‘live’ was an area that could not be adequately replicated in home or via virtual environments. Yet, a range of challenges have emerged that are impacting fans and patrons getting out and experiencing ‘in person’ entertainment. After people eagerly returned to live entertainment as states opened up as of the autumn, artists sought to try and recover income that they had lost when not being on the road for the best part of two years and recoup their losses by raising their ticket prices. Zac Messih, Senior Content and Partnerships Marketing Manager at Audience Republic, explains “while the cost of tickets for smaller venues - clubs and theatres - hover around the same price point as they were pre-COVID, the ticket price of larger shows - amphitheatres and stadiums - has skyrocketed.” With ticket inflation quickly followed by wider inflationary pressures across the wider economy, coupled with stagnating wages, discretionary spending on entertainment becomes a casualty. In addition, Messih adds “the sheer amount of shows and tours has increased significantly as consumers and artists are becoming more comfortable with going out. “Concert calendars are already clogged and, if you live in a major market, you may find that several of your favourite artists are performing on the same night, forcing consumers to pick and choose.” Costs are also impacting artists as well as consumers, with tours being cancelled because of rising travel and insurances cost and uncertainty over ticket sales. In September, US musician Santigold published a long statement to social media announcing the cancellation of her upcoming Holified tour. Citing two years of no income; the skyrocketing cost of gas, flights, and hotels; a flooded market of delayed tours, leading 46 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

to overbooked venues and audiences; and the risk of infection, alongside general exhaustion and poor mental health, she wrote “as a touring musician, I don’t think anyone anticipated the new reality that awaited us (after the pandemic). “I think it’s important for people to know the truth of what it’s like out here for artists … and I don’t believe enough of us are talking about it publicly.” September also saw UK rapper Stormzy cancel his upcoming Australia and New Zealand tour - three years after the original announcement; Justin Bieber once again postponed his world tour, citing health reasons; and Australian alt rockers Gang of Youths cancelled their upcoming North American dates, with their frontman, Dave Le’aupepe, writing in a statement “I’m getting to the point where the stress of travel, illness and feeling constantly hampered by injuries and physical shit sustained on the road is taking a significant toll on my wellbeing overall.” Festivals, have also been impacted by rising costs along with staffing issues, supply chain shortages and inconsistent consumer confidence and the added impact of weather events – with flood and rain events replacing the pre pandemic impact of bushfires. Gaining national attention when the first day of the returning 2022 Splendour in the Grass was cancelled in July due to heavy rain, extreme weather events have caused the cancellations or postponements at multiple outdoor events and music festivals in recent months. Scenes of fans caked in mud at Splendour in the Credit: Splendour in the Grass. Grass was just the start of a

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Strawberry Field Festival was cancelled due to weather conditions.

This That Festival cancelled becuase of issues with supply chain and labour shortages.

period of ongoing wild weather events impacting organisers, artists and attendees alike. Strawberry Fields, described as “four days of live music, large-scale art, workshops and wild river swimming” held on the Murray River in Tocumwal, was to have been held from 28th to 30th October. However, after watching flood levels on the Murray River rise well into September, organisers made the call to cancel the event a month out from the festival, immediately before on-site construction needed to start. Other festival cancellations included the This That Festival, Yours and Owls, Jungle Love and Shellharbour Rocks the Park. Shellharbour City Council made the difficult decision to cancel Shellharbour Rocks the Park, a country and blues music festival that was scheduled to go ahead Saturday 8th October at Albion Park Showground. Shellharbour City Deputy Mayor Kellie Marsh said the rain had already impacted the site and the predicted weather had left the Council with no other choice, explaining “the events team is not able to set up the site safely, posing a high risk for attendees, Council’s contractors, partners, crew and artists. “I know that many people were looking forward to this unique event. I admire the dedication of Council staff and their efforts to try and bring the community a free, high-quality family festival that reflects the country village character of Albion Park. We are extremely saddened and disappointed to have to make this decision.” Parkes Shire Council also made the difficult decision to cancel the 2022 Trundle ABBA Festival scheduled to be held on 15th October. Parkes Shire Mayor, Ken Keith said the decision to cancel the event was made after Council received a briefing from the NSW State Emergency Service and Resilience NSW, regarding widespread heavy rain forecast for much of the state. Mayor Keith advised “we left the final decision for as long as possible, hoping for an improved forecast, but unfortunately, the forecast has deteriorated rather than improved. “For all involved, we need to make a decision far enough in advance so people don’t get caught out with a last-minute, adhoc decision, and alternative arrangements for attendees and suppliers can be made.

“As a consequence of the severe weather predictions, our insurance provider advised us last week, that they would no longer be able to provide flood and wet weather coverage for the Trundle ABBA Festival, and we have not been able to source alternative insurance coverage. “While we explored options to reschedule the festival to a later date; the reality is that we can continue to expect above average rainfall to at least the end of the year, and potentially into the New Year, with the likelihood of being able to secure flood and wet weather insurance remaining slim.” Mayor Keith said all ticket holders will have the price of their tickets refunded, noting “we know how disappointing this is for all those who had purchased tickets and were looking forward to attending the first ABBA Festival since 2019, as well as the Trundle community, who were looking forward to welcoming ABBA fans back, but we appreciate everyone’s understanding, given the situation we find ourselves in.” Parkes Shire Council had agreed to deliver the Festival, after having been approached by the former event organisers to assume responsibility for the event. Mayor Keith added “unfortunately, the ongoing unpredictability of weather cycles, coupled with the difficulty of obtaining events insurance coverage, means that hosting outdoor events is certainly a high-risk business.” Climate change related extreme weather events are becoming more frequent across Australia and conditions are intensifying. The Australian Actuaries Climate Index measures extreme weather conditions in the country, recording changes in the frequency of extreme high and low temperatures, heavy rainfall, dry days, strong winds and changes in sea level. This autumn, the index recorded its highest measurement since records began in 1981. Such unpredictability is impacting insurance costs. Strawberry Fields has had to meet the cost of cancellation out of pocket as it was unable to secure insurance coverage in time, despite beginning talks with insurance brokers in July, much earlier than usual. Such delays are not unusual and correlate with rising premiums, not only for event cancellations but also public liability insurance with, as Australasian Leisure Management has frequently reported, the market tightened across many areas of the industry over the past few years. Commenting on the challenge, Stephen Wade, Executive Chairman of Select Music and Chair of the Australian Live Music Business Council, explains “it’s a unique time for us where these weather patterns consistently continue to throw havoc at our industry. “There are events that have 30,000 attendees, and the people promoting these shows are literally in the lap of the gods leading up to the shows, hoping that they’re not going to be absolutely smashed with weather.” Karen Sweaney is Editor of Australasian Leisure Management.

2022 Trundle ABBA Festival cancelled due to weather and insurance issues.

48 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

People In Brief Christine Adams is the new Deputy General Manager at Lake Mountain Alpine Resort in Victoria. Nerio Alessandri, Chief Executive of Technogym has been named by the International Spa Association as the 2023 ISPA Visionary Award winner. Brooke Atkins has left the YNSW to become joint Executive Director at the LARCAN consultancy. Kristy Brown has moved from Merlin Entertainments to become Head of Communications at Belgravia Leisure. Athletics Australia has announced the appointment of Samantha Culbert into the newly created role of Group General Manager, Delivery & Partnerships. The Australian Institute of Sport has appointed sports administrator Fiona de Jong, who previously spent more than 12 years with the Australian Olympic Committee, as lead of the AIS European Training Centre. Joshua French has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust. Screen Queensland has appointed Courtney Gibson as its new Chief Executive. Breet Jones has joined Leisure Concepts Australia as its new National Corporate Sales Manager. Cameron Jones is the Director of Precincts and Venues for the Queensland Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport. Xplor Technologies has announced that Pamela Joseph has taken on the role of Chief Executive of the global ‘everyday life’ payment and technology platform, replacing Floris de Kort, who has stepped down for personal reasons. Xplor has also appointed Toni Dawson as Senior Product Marketing Manager - Xplor Coach. Experienced sports and entertainment marketer Phil King has been named as the new Chief Commercial Officer at the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA). Fitness training body Clean Health has appointed Andrew Lockley as Chief Operating Officer and Gavin Aquilina as Head of Product and Innovation.

Debbie Rowley is the new Manager of Event Operations at the WIN Sports and Entertainment Centre. ActiveXchange has expanded its data analytics function, announcing Richard Schultz as its new Head of Data Science. Leah Stringer has been appointed to the role of Aquatic Facility Manager at Waitaki District Council. Following the death of former AFL Victoria Chair Ray Horsburgh in August, the Australian Football League has announced the appointment of former Federal Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner to the role. The City of Cockburn in metropolitan Perth has appointed David van Ooran as its Chief of Community Services. AEG Global Partnerships has announced what it says is “the first step” in its expansion in Asia with the promotion of Matthew Zweck to lead its Melbourne-based Asia-Pacific team.

New Ventures Cain Liddle, the former Chief Executive of the Carlton Football Club and Aligned Leisure, has launched a website introducing Incrementum Advisory Group, Australia’s newest sport and leisure consultancy. Liddle wrote on social media “the word ‘Incrementum’ is derived from a Latin term which means ‘growth, development and augmentation’, encapsulating the work we do across sport, leisure, membership and education.” Liddle’s four-year tenure at Carlton between 2017 and 2021 saw the club achieve record membership and strengthen itself financially - reducing the Blues’ historical debt by $2 million as of early 2020. He joined Carlton after playing a key part in Richmond FC’s commercial success over eight years. For more information go to www.incrementumadvisory.com.au/

Announcing the creation of a Worldwide Innovation Lab, event and venue management software leader Ungerboeck has advised that Steve Mackenzie has been promoted to the newly-created role of the company’s Chief Innovation Officer.

Vale:John Bloomfield The Sport Australia Hall of Fame has advised the passing of esteemed Member Professor John Bloomfield at the age of 89. The Sport Australia Hall of Fame shared “hundreds of successful Australian sports men and women owe a debt to Prof. Bloomfield and his passion for a more scientific approach to training, technique and injury prevention in Australian sport.”

Football Australia has appointed Mel Mallam as its General Counsel. Mallam, who has worked on two FIFA World Cups and the London 2012 Olympic Games, negotiated some of the world’s first digital media agreements in sport while working for world football governing body FIFA. Kirstie McNulty has been appointed by Otakaro Limited, the owner of Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, to oversee the new facility and manage its relationship with the venue operator, ASM Global. Alex Newton has been appointed as Diving Australia’s new Chief Executive. The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust has appointed Natalie O’Brien as Chief Executive of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC). Patricia O’Callaghan, currently the Chief Executive of Destination Gold Coast has been named the new Chief Executive of Tourism and Events Queensland. Business Events Industry Aotearoa has appointed Chris Peak as Events Manager, responsible for BEIA’s key events including the annual MEETINGS exhibition. Heading towards launching in the USA in early 2023, fastgrowing Australian franchise Fitstop has appointed Peter Pisani as Athletic Director - North America.

Correction In our issue 151, a picture used on page 42 incorrectly referred to it being of Brisbane’s John Carew Swim School. The facility in the picture was Hills Swimming in the Sydney suburb of Kenthurst, owned and operated by swim school leaders Julie and Deny Zancanaro. Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153 49

2021 AFL Grand Final action at Perth's Optus Stadium. Credit: VenuesLive.

Rights On Dr Hunter Fujak considers the sport broadcasting lessons from the AFL’s most recent rights negotiation ith the Australian Football League (AFL) recently announcing a record-breaking broadcast rights deal for W the period 2025 to 2031, consistent with their longer-term track-record, it is worth reflecting upon what lessons can be derived from the AFL media strategy. This has been a point of recent focus at Deakin University, the only Australian university to offer a dedicated postgraduate subject focussed upon sport broadcasting and its management. Assessing the broader sport and media landscape The need to learn from the AFL’s success is apparent from a broader scan of the Australian sport landscape, which illustrates there to be a growing chasm between the country’s absolute largest leagues and previously adjacent competitors. In rugby union’s second year of official professionalism (1996) for instance, the AFL’s central revenue ($85 million) was four times greater than Rugby Australia’s ($21 million). By 2019, the AFL’s revenue ($794 million) was seven times greater than Rugby Australia’s ($112 million). With an approximate $650 million per annum media rights deal in place for 2025 and beyond, the AFL could well reach a revenue multiple of 10 times to previously adjacent competitors such as Rugby and Football Australia. The second significant environmental factor to acknowledge is the rapidly involving media landscape, introducing new complexity into the planning and execution of sport media strategy. Prior to the fragmentation of free-to-air television (FTA) viewing and advent of digital over-the-top (OTT) platforms, our mainstream sports (and aspiring ones) could follow a relatively simple strategic formula. 50 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

Sport properties looking for fandom growth would ideally partner with a commercial FTA network to maximise reach, while properties more intent on maximising revenue could negotiate with Foxtel. The historical success of the AFL and NRL has been to optimise the balance between these divergent platforms and their respective benefits, beyond the requirements of antisiphoning laws, to align with broader organisational strategy. The entrance of new OTT media platforms and players have created opportunities, but so too new strategic considerations. For instance, the widely criticised user experience during the inaugural A-League season upon the Paramount+ platform undoubtedly counted against the media organisation during the recent bidding for AFL rights. The introduction of new platforms also creates chicken-andegg tensions in rights partner alignment. Whereas emergent OTT platforms desire sport rights to drive prospective subscriptions, sport properties must be simultaneously weary of aligning to a partner whose limited subscriber base may retard their own reach. Whereas established sport media properties such as the AFL will benefit from the luxury of alternatives, aspiring properties may need to adopt a riskier partnership alignment profile in the pursuit of reach or revenue. A simplified guide to generating large sport media rights fees Despite operational complexities, the process of generating large sport media rights fees is a conceptually simple one. The first, and hardest, step is to develop a highly popular product. The second step is to then execute an efficient rights negotiation strategy. The AFL provides an exemplar for both these steps.

Community football in Victoria benefits from the AFL’s extra investment in 2022. Credit: AFL Barwon

Step 1: Develop a highly popular product/offering Intrinsic to highly valuable sport media properties is that they are widely supported within the respective population, and hence central to the growth of any sport media property is fostering its underlying popularity. While this may seem self-evident, it is difficult to achieve in practice, particularly in highly competitive sport markets like Australia. Avenues to grow a sport property’s underling popularity will vary, contingent on the nature of the sport property, but general principles have emerged. This includes fostering grassroots participation; optimising ‘the product’ for entertainment value; leveraging nostalgia and emphasising cultural salience; maximising accessibility while reducing barriers to engagement; and featuring the best athletes possible (by relative world standards). While exploring such factors represents a semester of learning well beyond this discussion, it is noteworthy that the AFL largely excels across these principles, whereas most of their near competitors languish across at least one such dimension. The purely domestic nature of the AFL competition represents a competitive advantage here in several respects. First, the AFL is attuned to the product’s entertainment value and can modify its rules in response with impunity. This most sharply contrasts with Rugby Australia, who despite widespread local criticism around the game’s entertainment value, are heavily constrained in influencing the code’s rules. The AFL’s domestic nature also ensures the code intrinsically features the world’s best Australian rules athletes, providing an athletic legitimacy that contrasts with the A-League which suffers from diminished global comparisons. Cricket Australia is beginning to suffer regarding this principle. The advent of rival T20 leagues in the UAE and South Africa is intensifying the competition for elite global talent during the BBL window, forming part of Channel Seven’s highly public criticism of Cricket Australia. Among the remaining success factors, it is worth highlighting the significant gains the AFL has made with respect to grassroots community participation. Such gains, particularly attributable to the enormous growth of women’s participation in conjunction with the launch of the AFLW, not only grows the base of the participation pyramid but nourishes the lifetime value of such individuals as future AFL fans and consumers. As published in my recent book Code Wars, Sydney sport fans who participated in Auskick during childhood watch double as many annual AFL fixtures in adulthood as those who did not participate in Auskick. Grassroots sport participation can thus convert into elevated lifetime customer value within that sport, with AFL exemplary in connecting the community game to commercial outcomes.

Step 2: Execute an efficient rights negotiation strategy The second component of rights fee generation relates to practically embedding bidding and negotiation practices to maximise competitive tension among buyers in the media rights market. Structurally, economic theory universally advocates the adoption of various auction forms (English, sealed-bid) to foster competitive intensity among prospective bidders. The National Rugby League’s (NRL) most recent media rights deal, in which the organisation directly re-signed with their existing partners rather than performing a competitive tender, provides an illustrative case study of how a sport property can undermine their commercial media value. In the past two completed AFL and NRL media rights cycles (2013-2022), the two codes achieved comparable financial outcomes that reflect their broadly comparable capacity to achieve FTA ratings and drive Foxtel subscriptions. Yet, the two organisation’s most recent rights renewals diverged considerably in strategy, contributing to a record $250 million per annum divergence between the AFL ($643 million) and NRL ($400 million) in rights valuation for 2025 to 2027. As aforementioned, the NRL re-signed with their existing partners on long term deals (five years) at the height of the pandemic without a competitive tender process. By contrast, the AFL made two divergent operational decisions. First, they chose to extend their existing contracts by only two years, to navigate the immediate covid period. Second, and key to their ensuing record $4.5 billion five-year deal, they successfully fostered tension among bidders via their competitive tender process. Central to this was a high-stakes silent auction process aimed at extracting the ‘best and last offer’ from each bidder. The impact of such silent auctions cannot be understated, as a type of strategic game that can create perceived competitive intensity even where it may not tangibly exist. For instance, only insiders will know whether Nine’s alleged $500 million per annum AFL offer was genuine, or rather strategically announced to force rivals Seven/Foxtel to inflate their offer. Concluding remarks With the AFL’s competitive tender process responsible for maximising its media rights deal, the League has achieved a considerable financial advantage over the NRL, despite similarly valuable underlying media properties. The AFL’s success, both in propagating its underlying popularity and executing a media rights strategy, provide an exemplar of astute media rights management. That the league continues to grow its media valuation also illustrates the significance of applied expertise and education in sport media management, which continues to become more complex as the broader media market evolves. Dr Hunter Fujak is a Lecturer in Sport Management at the Deakin Business School and the co-author of the recently published ‘Sport Broadcasting for Managers’. Routledge ISBN 9780367690182.

Melbourne’s Daisy Pearce attempts to handball during round eight, 2021. Credit: AFL

Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153 51

Keeping fans engaged

All Blacks fans at Eden Park.

Jake Leong explores the future of fan engagement for sports clubs large and small

he sport industry has put the pandemic behind it with full seasons and tournament calendars, leagues and events across the globe largely back to normal, albeit with, in some cases, a lot of empty seats. As people return to enjoying out-of-home events and live experiences, uncertainties remain. Ticket buyers have too many events to choose from, and for some consumers they may be limited in what they can afford to attend, particularly with inflation rising worldwide and with little relief in sight. In community sport, a June 2021 survey by the Australian Sports Foundation (ASF) also found that 43% of polled sports clubs had seen a decrease in participation numbers, and a similar decline in volunteering. While it’s clear the pandemic has played a role in this decline to an extent, it seems there’s a deeper-lying issue - fans in many sports aren’t feeling a real connection to their clubs. Pre-pandemic, attending sporting events was a habitual commitment. Being a member of a football club or a fan of a Big Bash League (BBL) team meant you’d automatically turn up each week at matches to support your team. However, COVID turned these usual routines upside down. Naturally, it will take some time for them to bounce back. But left unchecked for too long, this lack of engagement, coupled with skyrocketing ticket prices, limited membership incentives and fan participation could greatly diminish their love of the sport. It’s critical, now more than ever, for sports clubs to dive deeper to connect with the community and reignite their love of the game through relationship marketing. A recipe for success The most important ingredient of any sports club is its members, but clubs can’t rely on prospective members to simply show up. Rather, they need to employ strategic marketing techniques to attract new members and retain the ones they have, ensuring everyone is receiving the services they expect. To create a relationship that goes beyond game day, sports clubs must connect with fans on the right channels at the right time. With data shared from fans directly to their clubs 52 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

and leagues, known as zero-party data (data that a customer willingly shares with a business), it’s possible to know what makes fans tick as well as the best ways to engage with them. How do sports clubs encourage fans to share more of their personal information? You know, the ‘good stuff’ that goes beyond names and email addresses, from who they’re attending matches with and how far they travel to watch their team. It’s all about value exchange. The value exchange When it comes to the value exchange, savvy sports clubs know that it doesn’t always have to be a discount or a red-letter prize that entices fans to share their details. Access to exclusive content and community initiatives can also be the catalyst for zero-party data collection. According to Cheetah Digital’s report for sports teams and associations, 55% of fans will share psychographic data points like purchase motivations and product feedback with sports brands. Even more, half of all fans surveyed say they desire incentives like coupons, loyalty points or exclusive access in return for their data. Give fans what they want, when they want it to turn an ‘unknown’ audience into a ‘known’ audience. ‘Known’ fans offer a lot of potential in the form of direct revenue, partner revenue, and participation - a solid win for sports clubs. Getting it right Whether to boost match-day excitement, connect with fans, monetise a global audience or increase content relevancy to reach a specific demographic; the following sports organisations are creating innovative and impactful digital experiences that drive results. From New Zealand to the UK and over to the US, these are the ones to watch. The All Blacks New Zealand’s All Blacks are a standout in the space for the innovative way valuable audience data and marketing opt-ins are collected. In advance of the last Rugby World Cup Final, the All Blacks tested its fans using an image of the All Blacks team, asking members to pick the lineout ball that was covering the real match ball.

To reward fans for their continuous support, those who entered with the correct answer went into a draw to win a poster signed by the entire All Blacks Rugby World Cup squad. On submitting their entry, participants were required to enter their name and email address, providing All Blacks with valuable audience data for future marketing promotions and communications. The Australian Open The Australian Open must also be commended for its inspiring method of collecting marketing opt-ins. To capture rich and valuable audience data, Yahoo!7’s channel, Seven Sport, teamed up with ANZ to drive engagement among tennis fans with a data-centric sweepstakes. Published to the Seven Sport website, the sweepstakes gave participants a once-in-a-lifetime chance to ask an Australian Open player any question - the ultimate prize for any tennis fan! To get involved, participants were required to submit their name, email address and phone number, and choose their favourite player who they wanted to have answer their question. The best question of the day was then announced live on air and was answered by the winner’s chosen player. Arsenal Football Club Arsenal Football Club of the English Premier League might be located on the other side of the world, but sports clubs everywhere can take note of its tremendous success and leverage similar tactics in their strategies. The club boasts a truly remarkable full-fledged, zero-party data strategy. Arsenal connects with fans via digital channels and collects the preference insights and permissions necessary to drive personalisation. Arsenal gains a solid understanding of its fans by taking a combination of transactional data, a demographic segmentation and persona-led approach, and behavioural data and hitting the sweet spot in the middle. For example, Arsenal has found the score predictor game, which encourages fans to guess the score of upcoming matches, is a real winner for engagement. Prizes for winning range anywhere from signed shirts to training kits - whatever fans might desire. Where Arsenal has noticed the most traction and where it’s getting some real buy-in from fans, however, is in giving away those special prizes that money can’t buy, such as corner flags from matches. Memorabilia like that is truly meaningful to fans who are very passionate about their teams. The Football Association, England (The FA) The FA has a grand ambition to double its contactable Customer relationship management database by 2024. Achieving this will drive direct revenue, boosting sales for the FA directly. It will increase partner revenue, expanding their reach and resonance with partners. And it will also drive participation in the sport at a grassroots level, which is basically the cornerstone of what the FA does. In terms of value exchange, the club is achieving aboveaverage conversion rates, using a diverse set of tools like team sectors, man-of-the-match polls, and score predictors for upcoming FA Cup competitions. According to Paul Brierley, CRM & Membership Lead at the FA, the reason the FA’s strategy has been so effective boils down to its value proposition and relevance. NHL Following the success from last year’s Fan Choice Awards, the NHL (National Hockey League) - North America’s elite professional ice hockey league- launched the second year of its voting, which celebrates the best on hockey social media. This awards campaign hosts 20 unique categories where fans can vote for their favourite social content within each poll. To finalise their vote, participants are directed to an optional form to complete should they wish to receive the latest marketing communications and exclusive offers from NHL.

The Australian Open.

Within the first week of the launch, the results were amazing. NHL received an incredible 16,000 email address opt-ins and 850,000 authenticated votes were captured. NFL To identify and profile a global fan base, the professional American football league NFL (National Football League) created a captivating category quiz hosted on its Facebook page to help international fans decide which team they should be rooting for in the knockout stages. With four versions of the quiz: UK, Brazil, Germany and Spain together with 11 multiple choice questions, this audience profiling technique provided the NFL with highly useful insights about its fans’ preferences. Upon completion, entrants were required to grant app permission, providing the NFL the opportunity to collect Facebook social data. Fans could also follow a link to the NFL website and live match times to stimulate real-time views of the games. This innovative strategy ushered in 271,000 campaign entries and 2,700 campaign shares. Data for the win Even though Australians and New Zealanders are some of the most enthusiastic fans in the world and sports like rugby, AFL, tennis and cricket have historically drawn massive crowds, if sports clubs don’t keep their eye on the ball, capturing fans’ motivations, intentions and preferences at a scale to provide a truly personalised experience, then they’ll lose. The only way a sports club can remain competitive in this new digital era is by understanding its fan base with data. Jake Leong is Strategic Account Executive at crosschannel customer engagement solution provider Cheetah Digital. The Cheetah Digital Customer Engagement Suite enables marketers to create personalised experiences, crosschannel messaging, and loyalty strategies, underpinned by an engagement data platform that can scale to meet the changing demands of today’s consumer.

Arsenal supporters at London’s Emirates Stadium.

Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153 53

Ski lift (left) and summer activities (top) at Mt Buller (top) and a skier at Mt Hotham (above).

The Lift the Alps Need With a single board now in place to assist in managing all six of Victoria’s alpine resorts, Gwen Luscombe speaks with Ali Wastie, the newly appointed Chair of Alpine Resorts Victoria, for insight into the board’s direction, agenda and aspirations rom 1st October this year, the four management boards Frepresenting Victoria’s six alpine resorts (Falls Creek, Mount Baw Baw, Mount Buller, Mount Hotham, Mount Stirling and Lake Mountain), along with the former Alpine Resorts Co-ordinating Council (ARCC) were replaced by a single, government-appointed agency, Alpine Resorts Victoria. The move was two-fold; designed to provide an improved strategic leadership to grow the billion-dollar Victorian alpine sector and support its response to the impacts of climate change. While the decision was announced back in April, the original boards continued to operate until October this year to minimise any disruption to the 2022 snow season. Following its inaugural meeting, Board Chair Ali Wastie the Chief Executive of Bass Coast Shire Council and a board member at South Gippsland Hospital, Destination Phillip Island, Destination Gippsland and Bass Coast Country University – introduced the board, its direction and key areas of focus. 54 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

Accepting that Alpine Resorts Victoria has an ambitious list of tasks, Wastie explains that she and the board collectively are optimistic, declaring “a single unified board will be able to identify synergies across the six alpine resorts and better prioritise and coordinate advocacy and funding initiatives.” She notes that the board “will allow for maximisation of planning and coordination efforts while maintaining and celebrating the unique aspects that each resort has. “Establishing the Stakeholder Reference Committees for each of the six alpine resorts at Falls Creek, Mount Baw Baw, Mount Buller, Mount Hotham, Mount Stirling and Lake Mountain is an important task (with) expressions of interest for these committees already out. “A subcommittee of the Board has been established and this will ensure stakeholder interests, concerns and ideas are tabled at each Board Meeting.” Also on the agenda, Wastie explains, is “building relationships and connections with traditional owners, commercial and public sector entities at all levels of Government and individuals who have interests and passion for our alpine resorts. “Since being appointed I have reached out to many people in the industry and have had several one-on-one meetings and meetings with our new Chief Executive, Amber Gardner.

“Having a strong background in economic development and tourism I have a good grasp of tourism-related issues. “However, it is really important for me to build relationships and get across the issues that are facing each of the resorts and the alpine sector as a whole so I can be as effective as possible.” Inaugural Chief Executive Gardner previously held the same role at the Mount Hotham Alpine Resort Management Board and has spent the last 16 years in leadership roles within Victoria’s alpine and tourism sector. Gardner is also currently Chair of the Ovens Murray Regional Partnership; a Director of Outdoors Victoria and Tourism North East; and a member of the Regional Development Advisory Committee and Victoria’s Economic Restart & Recovery Committee. Wastie states “Amber’s deep experience in the alpine and tourism sectors, her extensive networks and her proven people leadership make her an ideal choice as our inaugural Chief Executive Officer. “Amber has an excellent grasp of the strategic opportunities and challenges facing Alpine Resorts Victoria and she has a strong and compelling vision for the organisation and its future.” Speaking of her appointment, Gardner said, “Victoria’s alpine resorts are unique nature-based tourism destinations and significant contributors to the State’s visitor economy. I have a long affiliation with these iconic attractions, so am delighted to take on (this) role. “I look forward to working with the alpine industry to build the economic resilience of the sector and lead the resorts through their next phase of strategic growth.” The board’s initiatives are expected to be further fostered by the additional board members including Deputy Chair Helen Moran with member experience on three alpine resort management boards and extensive experience in Victorian alpine tourism. They are also joined by existing alpine board members Julia Hunter and Michael Monester. Also on the board are Natalie Ajay, current Director, communications and engagement at GOTAFE, non-executive director of Murray Regional Tourism Board and a member of IndiGrow. She is joined by south coast NSW Yuin man Daniel Miller, currently Chief Executive of the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation. Also newly added, is Taungurung woman and co-founder and director of Yilam Pty Ltd, Kaley Nicholson, who’s also Chair of the Taungurung Land and Waters Council. Alpine Resorts Victoria Board Chair Ali Wastie (opposite) and Mt Hotham (below).

Nadia Jaworski is a partner on Infrastructure matters at PwC, and Peter Anderson is currently the Chief Executive of the Victorian Transport Association and the Victorian Waste Management Association. Victorian Minister for Environment and Climate Action, Lily D’Ambrosio noted in a recent statement “this new board will provide the strategic leadership that Victoria’s alpine sector needs to deliver tourism growth and to manage the impacts of climate change. “Victoria’s alpine resorts make an extraordinary contribution to our state and to our regional communities through their efforts to deliver long-term financial sustainability to the alpine sector.” Together, stakeholders will aim to tackle a range of challenges including, according to Wastie, developing an understanding of the key challenges and opportunities for each specific resort. Wastie continues “it goes without saying that 2020 and 2021 had a detrimental impact on the alpine and broader tourism sector. The 2022 ski season saw many people come back to the resorts and they were able to do that because of the resilience and commitment of all the people who work across the resorts. People also choose to come to the resorts because they love the Alpine environment and what it offers them. “I have been coming to the resorts since I was a baby, and like me, many Victorians have strong affiliations and ties to our resorts. Of course, our resorts are on Country and the people with the deepest connections to Country are our traditional owners. I am looking forward to listening and learning from our two first nations board directors, Daniel Miller and Kaley Nicholson, all Traditional Owners and hearing from them on how together we can best care and look after the land that the Alpine Resorts are situated on.” Also a priority is supporting marketing and resort product development initiatives. Likewise, is developing future-focused funding and operating designed to grow the green season, to be less reliant on Government support and considers global impacts such as climate change and transitioning to green energy as soon as possible to reduce emissions. Also on Wastie’s to-do list, are creating a comprehensive asset management plan that’s implemented and financially supported and establishing and prioritising capital investment opportunities across the six resorts collectively. Wastie is also committed to working with key partners to tackle big issues facing the tourism sector and regional Victoria such as climate change, unreliable snowfall that will continue to decrease resulting in shorter and potentially more sporadic snow seasons, shortage of key worker housing, health services, digital connectivity, transport and logistics. Wastie concludes “the collective must be ensuring our resorts are welcoming and accessible to people from all backgrounds and abilities.” Gwen Luscombe is Director of the Ideas Library and a frequent contributor to Australasian Leisure Management on tourism, business events, technology and hospitality.

Victoria’s alpine resorts are Crown land reserves with Alpine Resorts Victoria responsible for vision and strategy, stakeholder engagement, governance, compliance, master planning, marketing, assets and the delivery of effective and efficient services including public facilities, roads, carparks, potable water, sewage, waste, recycling, ski patrol and medical services. Ski fields, lifts, ski and snowboard schools and hire operations are undertaken by leaseholders including the Grollo Group owned Buller Ski Lifts and Vail Resorts at Mount Hotham and Falls Creek.

Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153 55

Water Safety starts with Us Jade Hanson explains AUSTSWIM’s vital role in teaching people of all ages to be safer in and around the water

or over 43 years Australians have been taught to swim by AUSTSWIM-trained and licenced Swimming and Water Safety Teachers. With over 385,000 teachers trained since inception, it’s likely that each and every person in Australia today has been taught by or knows someone who has been taught by an AUSTSWIM Teacher of Swimming and Water Safety. Nationally, AUSTSWIM commits to ensuring training is available. Whether it is regional and remote, indigenous, culturally and linguistically diverse or any other community in need, AUSTSWIM is there to ensure that every Australian has access to swimming and water safety training and education. As we rebound and gain momentum into the summer months, we continue to acknowledge the significant role swimming and water safety plays in the social, economic, health and wellbeing of Australian communities and want to celebrate our industry and support our people. The recently released Royal Life Saving Society – Australia National Drowning Report 2022 reveals a tragic spike in drowning deaths over the past 12 months with 339 drowning deaths occurring across Australia, the highest in 25 years. In addition to the fatal drownings there were 686 non-fatal drowning incidents. The report shines light and concern on the importance of learning swimming and water safety skills at any age. The findings highlight the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on drowning risk, including children lacking swimming and water safety skills necessary to enjoy the water safely due to pandemic-induced lesson cancellations and the ongoing shortage in swimming and water safety teachers across Australia. 15 drowning deaths occurred in children aged five to 14 years, a 7% increase on last year and a 36% increase on the 10-year average. 56 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

These statistics are a reminder to the whole community and to over 33,000 AUSTSWIM teachers currently working back-toback shifts of the vital importance of the swimming and water safety programs that they deliver across Australia, teaching skills for life. Advising that the organisation remains committed to raising awareness around drowning prevention through the teaching of vital swimming and water safety skills, despite the challenges the industry faces, AUSTSWIM Chief Executive, Brad Low declares “swim schools across the country are operating at capacity and with not enough accredited and licensed teachers, they are unfortunately turning families away. “But with the support of several State funding initiatives, our focus is on educating as many new teachers as we can, ensuring that everyone across the country has access to swimming and water safety classes delivered by knowledgeable

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AUSTSWIM ambassador Brooke Hanson with participants at MATE disability accessibility workshop (above) and with AUSTSWIM Chief Executive Brad Low during the recent Rise with Us Breakfast series (below). Credit: AUSTSWIM.

and experienced AUSTSWIM teachers who have been trained to the highest quality standards. “AUSTSWIM Licensed Teachers are the lifeblood of swimming and water safety programs and have been so for the past 43 years. “Their employment and engagement are critical, resulting in more Australians participating in swimming and water safety lessons which will help reduce the number of preventable drownings and water-related injuries.” With one AUSTSWIM Licenced Teacher teaching on average up to 100 Australians a week, the total AUSTSWIM Licensed Teacher network is teaching up to 3.5 million people every week. An estimated 4.7 million children aged 0 to 14 years live in Australia alone, and the vision for AUSTSWIM is for each and every one of them to be taught by an AUSTSWIM Teacher of Swimming and Water Safety. Under the direction of Low, who took up his role in May this year, AUSTSWIM’s new strategic plan is committed to industry engagement, course development, teacher education and advocacy. The success of AUSTSWIM ‘Rise with us’ breakfast series has Low excited about the future of the organisation, sharing the vision and being a part of the AUSTSWIM family. He explains “as the peak National body for the Teaching of Swimming and Water safety in Australia, AUSTSWIM is and has always collaborated and partnered with industry, to support swim teachers and raise the awareness of the importance of swimming and water safety teacher competency and education. “Through these relationships we will ensure that swimming and water safety teacher training remains relevant to the needs of business and industry. “While the emergence of alternate courses has shown that there is no longer a single education provider in the teaching of swimming and water safety, AUSTSWIM remains the benchmark. “Our courses have and always will provide high quality, rigorous education and training programs that are un-matched by any organisation in Australia.” AUSTSWIM licenced teachers in Australia are accredited with ISO/17024 inviting independent auditors to assess AUSTSWIM on the way they train and accredit licenced teachers in Australia and holding them to the highest international standard. 58 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

Through this accreditation, AUSTSWIM maintains additional compliance to safeguard the quality of teacher training and licensing. Over the past six months, AUSTSWIM has spoken to people on the front line to identify opportunities to ease the workforce challenges currently being experienced by the industry. The new Strategic Plan will feature a strong collaboration pillar and an increased investment in program and product development to meet the current and emerging needs of the industry. Another key focus of the organisation is on workforce retention, workforce planning and supporting Licensed Teachers to develop their professional skills and grow personally, building resilience and focus on their own wellbeing. Fundamentally, 2023 sees the organisation return to its core purpose and a strong focus on individual teachers of swimming and water safety, developing their knowledge and skills to teach people of all ages to be safer in and around the water. Jade Hanson is National Marketing and Brand Manager for AUSTSWIM LIMITED.

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The $80 million redevelopment of the Adelaide Aquatic Centre was a significant issue during this year’s South Australian election.

The Timebomb under Australia’s ageing aquatic facilities A new Royal Life Saving report has found that in the next 10 years, up to 40% of public aquatic facilities that local governments own will need serious refurbishment or outright replacement at a cost of over $8 billion. RJ Houston reports

he significant contribution that aquatic facilities deliver is now indisputable through quantifiable data, and we are also more informed about the number and the profiles of aquatic facilities across the country. What is far less known is the state of the aquatic facilities and the likely timeframes for their upgrade and replacement. The State of Aquatic Facility Infrastructure in Australia - Rebuilding our Ageing Public Swimming Pools, a newly released report by Royal Life Saving Society - Australia, was initiated under the guidance of the National Aquatic Industry Committee following anecdotal evidence from members that there was an impending ageing pools crisis, and a deeper understanding of the issue was needed. The report found that significant investment is required to replace, renew or upgrade these pools nearing the end of their life expectancy. Context of Public Swimming Pools Aquatic facilities are essential for the provision of learn-toswim, water therapy, leisure, physical activity and swimming, which are activities that over five million Australians regularly attend. In addition to these benefits, they are places that create social cohesion. They are an essential service for communities to access now and, most importantly, into the future. While it is well established that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have a deep connection to water and are known to have participated in swimming and aquatic recreation in Australia for thousands of years, according to historians, Australia’s early public baths were constructed in Melbourne and Sydney. One of the first was the heated Natatorium Baths in Sydney, 60 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

Melbourne 1956 Olympic Pools. Source: Sievers, Wolfgang. (1956). Interior of the Olympic pool, Melbourne http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-160635950

built in 1888. Before this time, Australians bathed and swam in the many rivers, ocean beaches, lakes and dams. Australia’s international reputation for producing successful competitive swimmers also enhanced the interest in swimming pools and grew the community’s acceptance of swimming as a respectable sporting and leisure pastime. After the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, an influx in the provision of 50-metre pools were built right across the nation, many of which were crowd-funded and managed directly by volunteers, often named as war memorial pools. The 1950s, 1960s and 1970s saw enormous growth in the number of swimming pools constructed across Australia, which has culminated in most of these pools now being at the end of their useful life and requiring an urgent review.

Source: Herald Sun Article: “Campaspe Council: Pools in 7 country Vic Towns to Close” 15th January 2022

Balgo Swimming Pool. Source: Royal Life Saving Western Australia

Cost to Replace Pools An extensive audit of a statistically relevant sample size of aquatic facilities was conducted under advice from PricewaterhouseCoopers. This audit then classified pools based on age, amount of investment in renewals / upgrades based on publicly available information and then a construction and financial model developed by Leisure Management Excellence and Turner and Townsend was applied to provide an assessment of the likely state and cost of replacing aquatic facilities across Australia built in the 50s, 60s and 70s. This process found that: •The average Australian public pool was built in 1968 •500 (40%) of public pools will reach the end of their functional lifespan by 2030 •$8 billion is needed to replace those 500 ageing public pools •A further $3 billion will be needed to replace facilities ending their lifespan by 2035 The social health and economic cost of not replacing even 10% of aquatic facilities by the end of this decade could approach $1 billion per year according to multipliers from previous research by PricewaterhouseCoopers and Royal Life Saving.

Composition (%) of contributions from the three tiers of government towards recently funded aquatic infrastructure projects (2019 - 2022)

Wran Leisure Centre

Additionally, the report found that local governments are the primary funder of aquatic facilities and are under extraordinary budgetary pressure currently, so the way in which public pools are funded and maintained needs to be re-examined systematically and across all layers of government. Other Key Findings The research highlighted that while in wealthy metropolitan areas the rise of privately-owned and operated aquatic facilities is on the rise, in low socio-economic areas and regional areas, privately-owned publicly accessible aquatic facilities are too few to ensure that communities can access safe aquatic locations and learn swimming and water safety skills in supervised environments. Regional and remote councils seem the most exposed, often providing multiple aquatic facilities across a large area. It has increasingly been these rural communities, but not exclusively, that have been presented with the prospect of pool closures and who have actively resisted. It is also clear from additional Royal Life Saving research that regional and remote communities are at higher risk of drowning in inland waterways and most benefit from access to swimming and water safety programs, made possible by local public swimming pools in most cases. Closing community pools is inherently very unpopular, consistently aggravating community sentiment and mobilises communities towards involvement in the political process. In order to replace, renew and/or upgrade the 500 pools at the end of their life, significant investment is needed and possibly the exploration of alternative service models for the delivery of aquatic facilities to be identified and implemented. Without both of these, it is likely that the number of swimming pools in Australia will significantly reduce over the coming decade. Most importantly, the opportunities for Australians to access the important social, health and economic benefits of public swimming pools will diminish. The opportunities for healthier lifestyles, social interaction and children learning to swim will be lost. Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153 61

Horsham War Memorial Pool is a typical 60s-70s public pool Source: Evans, Joyce. (1995). War Memorial Swimming Pool. Horsham, 1995. http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-142799427

Additional findings include: •64% of all renewal or new aquatic facility construction is currently financed by local government in Australia •77% of aquatic facilities in regional areas are publicly owned •79% of aquatic facilities located in areas with the lowest SEIFA (the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas) decile are publicly owned •74% of aquatic facilities located in areas with the highest SEIFA decile are privately owned •Many regional councils struggle to afford to maintain or replace swimming pools, and increasingly councils are considering closing their pools •Closing community pools is inherently very unpopular and consistently aggravates community sentiment and mobilises communities towards involvement in the political process

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62 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

Impacts Another recent report prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers on behalf of Royal Life Saving, A Water Loving Nation Free from Drowning - The Role of Learn to Swim report, recently found that: •An estimated 40% of children leave primary school unable to swim the length of an Olympic swimming pool •23% of Australian adults report weak or no swimming ability •Participation in swimming lessons reduces significantly after the age of seven •Those most vulnerable are least likely to access lessons •Barriers include cultural, financial and language difficulties In addition, the recent Royal Life Saving National Drowning Report 2022 found that drowning deaths increased by 15% compared to the previous year, but 24% compared to the 10year average. Relevant findings include: •Rivers and creeks continue to be the location with the largest number of drowning deaths, accounting for 34% of all deaths •River/creek locations recorded a 65% increase compared with the 10-year average •75% of all drowning deaths were not visitors to the area (0% were overseas visitors in 2021-22) •59% of all drowning last year were in regional areas. Given 86% of the population lives in metropolitan areas, this is concerning In light of the now historically high drowning rates, the generation of children at risk of missing out on swimming and water safety and this new research about the state of aquatic facility infrastructure, it really is a perfect storm for a number of reasons, including our status as a water-loving nation, our national pride in our competitive swimming success, physical activity, our concept of a fair go and future drowning rates.

Products

Waterplay’s release of 18 new Splash Pad products is its biggest in years Opened in 2021, the City of Sydney’s Gunyama Park Aquatic and Recreation Centre, originally budgeted at $50 million when the project was approved in 2015, cost a reported $106 million.

Solutions It is unlikely that a straight ‘like-for-like’ replacement of all ageing aquatic facilities, will or should take place. However, several case studies show opportunities to rethink the Australian approach to aquatic facility provisioning in Australia. The report includes recommendations to rethink the approach to the provision of aquatic facilities to ensure that the community can continue to access these into the future. These include: •Prioritising function over form and keeping new designs simple, modular and scalable •Exploring Public-Private-Partnerships to funding infrastructure •Lowering access barriers such as entry fees to increase the use and impact of existing aquatic facilities and create greater social value and return •Local government collaboration and partnership on aquatic facility provisioning •Considering how the private sector can provide benefits traditionally serviced by local governments such as learn to swim and how governments can subsidise activities which are not market based such as lap swimming and recreational play at commercially owned and operated aquatic facilities •Exploring how schools might build and share their aquatic facilities •Encouraging and facilitating greater cooperation between councils for service provisioning and purchasing •Exploring how clubs and associations who may seek the use of aquatic facilities might also consider collaborative approaches to the development of such facilities Even with exploring novel ways of addressing the coming gaps, it is certain that additional funding from state and federal governments is needed as well as reviewing how state and federal governments plan and allocate funds to support aquatic facility developments to ensure equitable and universal access. Finally, Royal Life Saving Society - Australia will plan and deliver an aquatic infrastructure symposium to bring together the aquatic sector, planners and governments to facilitate a common understanding of the situation and explore new approaches and opportunities for the continued provision of publicly accessible aquatic facilities in Australia. RJ Houston is the National Manager - Aquatics at Royal Life Saving Society - Australia. The full report is available from Royal Life Saving.

Hitting the global market with their biggest product launch in years, Waterplay has introduced 18 new splash pad products, ranging from towering, multi-leg characters to quirky discoverystyled splash pad essentials, as well as the Sling Soaker - a new favourite dumping bucket. Centrepiece of the new line is The Titans, a competitivelypriced and easy to install feature with multiple points of play. Introducing the feature, Waterplay Product Manager, Kyle Luciw explains “the idea here was to offer a large structure that was easy for the installer, cost effective for the owner, and extremely playful. “The Titans could effectively be the only feature for the entire splash pad - they’re that big and there’s that many play opportunities with dumping buckets, splashers and sprays.” Having last year reimagined its popular Cirque Collection - a line of splash pad products that encourage discovery, physical movement and imagination during play - the range now focuses on the acrobatics of water and the opportunities for total focus and immersion during play. Contact Waterplay Solutions Corp on 1800 180 955, E: info@waterplay.com, www.waterplay.com Contact Waterplay’s Australian agent Parkequip on 02 9725 5604, E: info@parkequip.com.au, www.parkequip.com.au

Polytan Asia Pacific restores Arafura Stadium running track Polytan Asia Pacific has delivered a $2.6 million renovation to the Northern Territory’s Arafura Stadium running track restoring the track to its former glory and readying the Territory for upcoming opportunities for national and international events. The resurfacing saw the existing track removed, the bottom layer of bitumen scraped back, new bitumen laid and a stateof-the-art Rekortan M surface laid on top. The restoration sees the Northern Territory now having a ‘class 2 World Athletics Certified Facility’ which is one step below the mega-stadium at Sydney Olympic Park. Contact 1800 663 812, E: enquiry@polytan.com.au, www.polytan.com.au Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153 63

Products

Technogym introduces the first indoor bike connected to most popular cycling apps $3.2 million Kununurra Water Playground officially opens A new 500 metre² aquatic play space featuring zones for different age groups from toddlers to teenagers, with a range of waterslides for all ages, water cannon, tipping buckets, a splash pad and a water spray area has been opened at Kununurra in Western Australia. The first stage of a redevelopment of the Kununurra Leisure Centre, the $3.2 million Kununurra Water Playground was fully funded by the Western Australian Government through its WA Recovery Plan. Within a 2000 metre², the wet play area features bespoke play items including a 4.2 metre spraying Boab tree, 4 metre Estuarine crocodile and dozens of other features designed and manufactured by Western Australian-based company Water Features by Design. For safety, the 700 metre² surface beneath the play equipment comes from Life Floor and represents one of the company’s largest installations. Featuring six different colours, the tiles have been made to withstand the harsh climatic conditions of Northern Australia and come with a five-year warranty. Installation was undertaken by Grassports Australia (QLD) Commenting on the project, Grant Burgess, Managing Director, Life Floor Australia & NZ, stated “this is our first large scale installation in the north of WA and we’re confident the unique features of Life Floor - comfort, slip resistance, UV stability and durability will see the surface stand up to the environment and be enjoyed by the community.” Opening just in time for the upcoming Kimberley wet season, the Water Playground is already popular with the 5,500 residents of Kununurra as well as visitors. Contact 0459 169 769, E: info@lifefloor.com.au, www.lifefloor.com.au

New sport equipment recycling scheme looks to collaborate with sport and recreation facilities A new sports equipment recycling scheme has been launched - Game On Recycling - which aims to prevent sports equipment entering landfill and alleviate waste stream barriers through a range of collection partnerships. The scheme is being piloted in several venues, including the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre and Parkville State Hockey and Netball Centre. The pilot sports equipment product stewardship scheme is co-funded by the Australian Government’s National Product Stewardship Investment Fund, Australia New Zealand Recycling Platform (ANZRP) and Wilson Sporting Goods Co.

64 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153

Technogym has introduced the Technogym Ride - a 22-inch screen bike designed with Cycling Champions - to give riders the ultimate virtual roadside cycle experience. Users can connect with a single log-in to their favourite apps and access an unprecedented variety of routes and training programmes. The Technogym Ride includes advanced biomechanics to replicate real-world routes and inclines. Technogym ride is adjustable for riders of all sizes and experience levels offering: •A V-shaped frame structure to suit most sizes •Fully customisable with adjustable pedal cranks and ‘Fast Buttons’ to help riders navigate various training modes of constant power, incline and FTP percentages •Equipped with a real gear box and fast reaction time of 0 to 1000 watts within half a second Through a single login with no set up hassles, the bike is the first of its kind to offer easy access to cyclists’ most loved apps Zwift, Strava, ROUVY, TrainingPeaks, Kinomap and Bkool, along with entertainment apps Eurosport and Netflix. Developed by the Technogym Research Center, the bike also offers Technogym Neuromuscular Training (TNT) programs to target metabolic and neuromuscular development. Contact 1800 615 440, E: info.au@technogym.com, www.technogym.com

Wavegarden introduces first bespoke water treatment system for artificial surfing lagoons Wavegarden’s team of specialist engineers has pioneered the first bespoke water treatment system that has been 100% designed, built and tested for artificial surfing lagoons. The system was developed at the company´s Research and Development (R&D) centre in Northern Spain and has been implemented and proven at four commercial facilities across the globe including The Wave Bristol (England), Praia da Grama (Brazil), Wave Park (South Korea) and Alaïa Bay in Switzerland. The fluid dynamics research carried out on currents has maximised efficiency to the point where 100% of the water volume can be sanitised in less than one hour. Further, Wavegarden has proprietary protocols to create an environment free of amoeba and pathogenic microorganisms. The state-of-the-art system is incorporated in Wavegarden´s technology package for all installations and Wavegarden notes “as surfers will testify it delivers fresh water that is safe and crystal - clear with a remarkable level of visibility.” Contact +34 943 041 018, E: sales@wavegarden.com, www.wavegarden.com

Products

Mindarie Park sees rise in visits by children including those with disabilities Parkequip, the designers of the inclusive Mindarie Park All Abilities Playground, undertaken for Lane Cove Council, have advised of the increased usage of this popular playground since its opening three and a half years ago. Mindarie Reserve is an All Abilities Playground which was developed for the Council by Parkequip and Parkequip’s equipment manufacturers Landscape Structures. Originally six residential properties that Council acquired through a rezoning process, the area is now a multi-generational park that caters for a wide range of users with its all-access playground, pathway network, multi-use games arena, seating options, teen ropes hangout course and open expanse of lawn. The project attracted great interest during its development as it was a one of a kind inclusive playspace in the area with a Nature Theme that aligns with the Everyone Can Play guidelines to cater for all children and their carers. This nature-inspired, inclusive playground engages children and their families along the ramps and walkways with tactile, visual and auditory-stimulating panels, slides, play components and our popular Inclusive Sway Fun Glider with ample room for two wheelchairs plus two large benches for carers and others. The fenced playspace includes a range of swings, natural-looking play materials and equipment that is suitable for people of all abilities to enjoy. Also on-site are new BBQ facilities, toilets and seniors fitness equipment. The project was made possible following $1 million in funding from the NSW Department of Planning and a further $800,000 in Council contributions Children of all abilities can enjoy the highly textured, natureinspired events where kids can crawl through, climb on both the outside and insides of the rock panels as well as find lifelike frogs, mice, bats and insects sculptured into the rock faces. The project was funded by the NSW Government in association with Lane Cove Council. Contact Parkequip on 02 9725 5604, E: info@parkequip.com.au, www.parkequip.com.au

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Lake Macquarie Swim Centres go live with Envibe Lake Macquarie City Council has launched a new website for its swim centres, powered by Envibe’s Swim school software. Offering increased functionality for customers by enabling them to create personal accounts for bookings and other activities, the My Swim customer portal offers new features for customers including: -Updating contact information -Sign-up options to be notified of swim centre closures and aqua fitness class cancellations -Purchasing multi-visit passes for pool entry and group fitness -Searching for purchase history and the number of visits left on passes -Scheduling free Learn to Swim assessments -Confirmation and payment for each Learn to Swim reenrolment -Viewing records about progress and levels of Learn to Swim programs once competency has been reached. In addition, customers can easily create their new account via the new website. Contact 02 9906 7522, E: info@jonasleisure.com.au, www.jonasleisure.com.au

Sportradar launches capture solution for live fielding data at Cricket World Cup The International Cricket Council (ICC) has partnered with leading global sports technology company, Sportradar to provide live fielding data at the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Capturing the data an innovative cricket collection tool developed by Sportradar, the technology will help to bring cricket fans closer to the global sport through a higher level of engagement and understanding of the third discipline of cricket as the match happens. The first in the world to collect and code comprehensive fielding data and standard batting and bowling statistics, the product captures up to 80 data points per ball bowled and at the lowest latency in market. The data will be used to power ICC’s fan-facing website and official mobile application. In addition, the data can be provided via bespoke feeds to media outlets and broadcasters globally to help shape and broaden live commentary with deeper insights. Contact Sportradar via www.sportradar.com Australasian Leisure Management Issue 153 65

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Melbourne-based sports and entertainment business technology services provider EngageRM has struck a three-year partnership with National Rugby League (NRL) club, Brisbane Broncos. The three-year deal will transform the Broncos’ digital offering to provide a best in class premium sales, hospitality and partnership experience for both fans and corporate partners of the club. This partnership expands EngageRM’s presence in both Queensland and the NRL, with the Broncos becoming the fourth NRL team to partner with the company. Through the state-of-the-art EngageRM system, the Broncos can now combine operations, fulfilment and sales management across the organisation within a centralised, single platform that is powered by Microsoft Dynamics 365. Broncos Executive Manager Corporate Partnerships and Sales Dan Glass enthused “we’re thrilled to partner with EngageRM, an organisation who are constantly pushing the boundaries in their field, to transform our corporate and commercial offerings. “We are looking forward to working with the EngageRM team to continually improve our systems and processes to push the boundaries and connect with our passionate fan base on a new level.” EngageRM provides a single technology platform for CRM, data and analytics to drive engagement, revenue and profitability in sports and entertainment. The innovative technology, built on the Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform, utilises artificial intelligence, machine learning, voice recognition and various datapoints to give clients a deeper understanding of their customers. Contact 1300 885 279, www.engagerm.com

Fluidra backs Royal Life Saving WA’s Swim and Survive program Royal Life Saving WA has announced that Fluidra, the leading manufacturer and supplier of swimming pool and spa equipment, is to fund 120 Swim and Survive program participants in regional and metro areas in Western Australia. Aiming to reduce drowning statistics in at-risk communities, the two organisations have signed a twoyear funding agreement which has already seen Royal Life Saving deliver swimming and water safety lessons to 20 Aboriginal children from the regional town of Roebourne at the local Wickham swimming pool in the city of Karratha. Delivered during the October school holidays to students from the Yaandina Youth Centre and Roebourne Remote School Attendance Strategy, the sessions were undertaken by program partner Real Employment For Aboriginal People. With Aboriginal children drowning at almost double the rate of non-Aboriginal children in Western Australia, Royal Life Saving WA Chief Executive, Peter Leaversuch, says these programs are crucial as we work to prevent drowning in at-risk areas, stating “Royal Life Saving is proud of the new partnership with Fluidra to ensure more West Australian children receive vital Swim and Survive skills.” Fluidra Marketing Director, Jonas Ryberg noted “the Swim and Survive program aims to provide swimming and water safety lessons to kids who would otherwise not have access to these valuable skills. “It is exactly the sort of initiative Fluidra aims to support via the Social aspect of it’s ESG plan. “In a nation surrounded by water with one of the world’s highest levels of pool ownership per capita, we feel it is our obligation to help as many people as possible become competent swimmers.” Contact 1300 763 021, E: au-commercial@fluidra.com, www.fluidra.com/brands

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Australasian Leisure Management issue 153 2022

Articles inside

Products

Australia’s Ageing Aquatic Facilities

The Lift the Alps Need

People in brief

Water Safety starts with us

Rights On

Good to be Back?

Keeping Fans Engaged

People

Two Months in Leisure

Accessible, Inclusive, Innovative

Wheels in Motion

Gone too Far

Maximum Eff ort

Striving for Safety

From the Publisher

Normalising Disability