THE Shire of Chittering is consulting the community on a proposal to extend swimming pool barrier inspections to all areas of the shire.

Currently, only swimming pools within gazetted townsites in the shire are subject to four-yearly swimming pool barrier inspections.

Properties outside gazetted townsites are required to have a compliant swimming pool barrier but are not subject to four-yearly inspections.

The consultation was encouraged by the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety after an Ombudsman WA report found excluded areas of the state to be a potential high drowning risk.

However, some Chittering residents said the potential changes do not reflect the realities of rural life.

Chittering Residents and Ratepayers Association member Mark Campbell said he believed the four-yearly inspection requirement was more suited to townsite properties than rural and rural-residential properties.

“It’s very important that there is pool or water safety within our shire to protect children and vulnerable people from drowning,” he said.

“But my biggest concern, living on rural residential properties, is that we’ve got dams, streams, creeks and man-made ponds, which are currently not inspected, so why is the shire just focusing on swimming pools when there are other risks?

“I appreciate what they are trying to do, but they are not looking at the bigger picture. When you’re on acreage, it doesn’t make sense to only focus on one little section and not worry about the other hazards.”

The proposed inspections would be paid for by property owners through an annual fee of $78, totalling $312 over the four-year inspection cycle.

Mr Campbell said it is unfair for rural pool owners to pay for four-yearly barrier inspections when other potential water hazards are not subject to the same requirements.

“Down the road, there is someone with a massive man-made dam, which kids could inadvertently slip into and drown, but he won’t require barrier inspections,” he said.

“The shire should make sure every person has a barrier installed, and then the onus should be on the owner of the property to make sure that it’s safe.”

A Shire of Chittering spokesperson said the shire is not introducing something new and is following state legislation.

“We are just determining the appetite of our community to make this applicable to all swimming pools within the shire regardless of whether they are in a townsite or not,” they said.

“This is the consultation process, which will determine if council wants to implement it going forward.”

Residents will be able to provide comment on this by filling out an online survey.

The online survey will close on Monday, August 3.