THE state government has been forced to extend the deadline for swimming pool compliance certificates.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Pool owners had until April 29 to obtain a new or updated certificate, which would allow their property to be leased or sold.
That deadline has now been pushed back a year.
Shadow minister for Local Government, Sophie Cotsis, said the O'Farrell government was "embarrassed into shelving its flagship scheme".
Ms Cotsis said the government had been forced to push back the initial deadline after a "flood of complaints from councils" that they had not been given sufficient resources to inspect the pools and certify their safety compliance.
"The government has completely failed to resource councils to undertake the compliance and enforcement needed to make mandatory inspection works," Ms Cotsis said.
However, a spokeswoman for Wagga City Council said the organisation had been undertaking swimming pool safety inspections in regards to compliance since 2010 - a scheme which would continue.
"Council already had an inspection program in place prior to amending its policy as a result of recent legislative amendments," the spokeswoman said.
"The amendments to council's swimming pool inspection regime are very resource intensive when combined with the routine functions and role of council's building inspectors."
Council has nominated a five-year rolling inspection process, which "attempts to compensate for this worthwhile but resource intensive swimming pool safety initiative".