Moyne Shire Council investigation to proceed despite Belfast Aquatics charges

Moyne councillors voted unanimously at a council meeting in late April to authorise CEO Brett Davis to explore the possibility of a skills-based community committee taking over Belfast Aquatics.

The pool and leisure centre has been in danger of closing since early 2022 because of insurance problems relating to inadequate health and safety regulations.

The investigation was given a budget of $25,000 and Mr Davis was expected to collaborate with the industry expert who had helped remedy the organisation's shortcomings over the previous 12 months.

Council officers said if the pool was to remain in community hands, the management needed a more rigorous board structure and more capable people in charge.

The chair of the current Belfast Aquatics committee of management, Anne McIlroy, argued at the council meeting there was no need for change and that the committee had brought in new members with new skills and experience.

But on May 5 the future of the facility was again thrown into doubt when WorkSafe announced it was charging the management committee with six offences under Victoria's Occupational Health and Safety Act after an eight-year-old boy drowned at the pool at a school camp in May 2021.

Following a two-year investigation, WorkSafe alleged Belfast Aquatics had failed to test the school children's swimming abilities before letting them use an inflatable obstacle course in the pool.

WorkSafe also alleged there were no qualified lifeguards on duty at the time of the drowning and that the staff in attendance weren't trained to use the inflatable equipment.

The matter is scheduled for a filing hearing in Warrnambool's Magistrate's Court on May 29.

The Standard asked Ms McIlroy whether the pool would contest the charges, but she declined to comment.

A council spokesman said the CEO's investigation into a new management committee for the pool was continuing despite the charges.