Middle class gets raped again...

...all in the name of 'safety' of course.

Pool-safety review to hit wallet
12:00a.m. 15th December 2008

Owners of backyard swimming pools could face annual inspection fees of up to $300 under the biggest shake-up of Queensland’s pool-safety laws in nearly 20 years.

The proposed changes, unveiled by premier Anna Bligh, include a state register of pools and mandatory inspections.

A pool-safety advisory committee will be established to look at key areas of pool safety, with new regulations ready to be in place next year.

A single statewide standard to replace Queensland’s existing 11 pool fencing standards would be considered, and the review would also address concerns that pool fencing laws were not being adequately policed.

The president of the Local Government Association of Queensland, Paul Bell, said the premier had failed to mention the cost of the planned inspections.

“The LGAQ, which has not been consulted on the proposed legislation, calls on the government to ensure Queenslanders with backyard pools know that they will be up for annual inspection fees of between $200 and $300, based on what private building certifiers charge for simple building inspections,” he said.

“In most instances, councils no longer perform building inspections, following the introduction of private building certifiers a decade ago by the Beattie state government.

“It is likely councils will have to receive private building certifiers’ reports annually and have certifiers do return inspections on pools which do not comply.”

Ms Bligh said the new committee would be given wide-ranging powers to consider issues including:
Developing and maintaining a register of swimming pools in Queensland
Requiring mandatory ongoing inspections of swimming pools.
Inspections on rental properties (similar to safety switch and smoke-alarm inspections).

“Some of these options may be controversial but any option that could help save even one child from drowning is worth considering,” Ms Bligh said.

http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/dec/15/pool-safety-review-hit-wallet/

That said, someone is going to making a lot of money from this. Rent-seeking, lawl.

But this kind of thing happens all the time, all over the world.