School swimming fees cut by council, but cost to ratepayers unclear
Mossman Pool
Schools across the Douglas Shire region will be charged less for student swimming lessons at Mossman Pool after Douglas Shire Council yesterday voted to waive one of the key fees.
Schools are currently charged lane-hire fees of $12 per hour, per lane, as well as a $4 entry fee per student - councillors voted unanimously to waive all lane fees at this week’s meeting.
The council is not saying how much the move will cost ratepayers, but during the 2021 census there were about 1800 children aged 5-19 living in Douglas Shire.
“Waiving the lane-hire fees will result in a minimal impact to the overall revenue of the pool,” a report tabled in the meeting reads, without actually saying what that cost will be.
Councillors spoke unanimously in favour of the move during the meeting.
“It’s important that children who live in the tropics are very proficient in water,” Cr Damian Meadows said.
Cr Michael Rees: “Anything we can do, even though pools in councils generally don’t make money, I think this is a really important step.”
The Douglas Cluster of Schools approached the council requesting the lane-hire fees be waived.
“According to the cluster, it costs about $80 per student to facilitate the swimming curriculum, which may include bus fares, additional teacher supervision, a qualified instructor, the purchase of resources such as kickboards, and pool fees,” the report stated.
“For families struggling with cost-of-living pressures, and families with multiple children participating, it is becoming a cost that is out of reach for many.”
It is unclear how much of the savings will be passed on to the families by the schools.
More than 320 people drowned across Australia in the 2023/24 financial year, with 70 in Queensland.
The 10-year average per year was about 280 people, while the 10-year Queensland average was 65 drownings.
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