COUNCIL POLICY
Swim Sport & Leisure Services
Responsible Officer:
Document No:
Approval Date:
Approved By:
Review Date:
CPL 280.4
27 March 2012
Council
27 March 2015
Version No:
01
General Manager Projects Recreation & Central Geelong
Authorising Officer:
Chief Executive Officer
1. PURPOSE
This policy articulates Council’s approach to improving community health and well being
through the provision and management of leisure, sports and aquatic facilities and
programs.
2. SCOPE
This policy applies to Council’s Swim, Sport & Leisure Services.
3. REFERENCES

Aquatic and Fitness Network Service Review 2001 - Council

Local Government Act 1989 – Victorian Legislation

Competitive Neutrality Policy Victoria 2000 – Victorian State Government

Competition and Consumer Act 2010 – Federal Government Legislation
4. DEFINITIONS

The Swim, Sport & Leisure services includes 13 facilities (four indoor aquatic and leisure
centres, two seasonal outdoor pools, two stadia, two sports and entertainment venues
and three golf courses).

Leisurelink Aquatic and Recreation Centre

Barwon Valley Activity Centre

Splashdown

Simonds Stadium

Bellarine Aquatic Sports Centre

Geelong Arena

Waterworld

Balyang Par 3

Kardinia Aquatic Centre

Queens Park Golf Course

Lara Pool

Elcho Park Golf Course

Leisuretime Sport Centre
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5. COUNCIL POLICY

Individual and Community benefit:
Council recognises that the provision and management of leisure, sports and aquatic
facilities plays an important role in maintaining personal quality of life and as a result
contributes to overall community well being.
Council contributes to the overall community health and well being through the provision
of facilities and programs such as:
 Health and Fitness (gymnasium, group exercise, lap swimming, sporting
opportunities, health and wellness programs).
 Education and Safety (Learn to Swim Program, sports development, training,
conferences)
 Sport and Recreation (supervised recreation swimming, sporting and
entertainment activities)
 Social Awareness (social connection and sense of belonging through group and
community activities)
 Rehabilitation (gentle exercise and water based programs)

Access and Equity:
Council recognises the economic, social and geographic disadvantage of some individuals
and consequently strives to ensure that all persons have equitable access to sport,
recreation and leisure facilities and programs.

Financial Management and Customer Satisfaction:
Financial Management and Customer Satisfaction with service delivery will be benchmarked
against the overall performance of the aquatic and recreation industry and will reference
Council’s commitment to access and equity.
Council will review the pricing associated with the provision of sport, recreation and leisure
facilities and programs during the annual budget process. Decisions on pricing are made
within an overall organisational context.
Council currently subsidises the full cost of operating the sport, recreation, leisure facilities
and programs.
Council’s approach to pricing of facilities and programs will be that:

Those activities which contribute to the overall community health and well being or are
non-commercial in nature will be priced in such a manner that optimise community
participation and for that reason will have a component of Council subsidy attached; and

Those activities which are commercial in nature will be priced to enable recouping of the
full costs of providing the service.

Where the majority of activity is non-commercial, Council will adopt an avoidable cost
methodology to determine costs.
Whilst being aware of requirements of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 and the
Competitive Neutrality Policy January 2000 guidelines, Councils pricing approach does not
preclude the implementation of short-term promotional pricing and product offerings with the
express intention of increasing usage of facilities.
6. QUALITY RECORDS
Quality Records shall be retained for at least the period shown below.
Record
7. ATTACHMENTS
Nil
Retention/Disposal
Responsibility
Retention
Period
Location