Public swimming pools are essential community infrastructure. They provide safe, affordable places for people to swim, exercise, rehabilitate, participate in sport, and learn vital water safety skills.

They also become even more important when environmental events, such as harmful algal blooms, reduce safe access to South Australia's beaches.

Between September and November 2026, southern Adelaide is expected to experience an unprecedented reduction in public swimming facilities.

During this period:

• SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre's 50-metre pool is scheduled to close for major refurbishment.
• Marion Outdoor Pool will be closed for redevelopment.
• Noarlunga Aquatic Centre will remain closed while construction of its replacement continues before its planned reopening later in the year.

We support investment in these facilities. Upgrades are necessary and will benefit the community in the long term.

However, scheduling these major closures to overlap will leave southern Adelaide with virtually no public 50-metre pool and only the 25-metre pool at SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre to accommodate:

• Public lap swimming.
• Learn-to-swim programs.
• School swimming lessons.
• Lane hire for swimming clubs.
• Recreational swimming.
• Rehabilitation programs.
• High performance swimming and triathlon training.
• Community users who rely on year-round aquatic access.

Even under normal circumstances, access to public swimming space is already heavily stretched. Removing multiple facilities at the same time will place enormous pressure on the remaining pool and significantly reduce opportunities for thousands of South Australians to swim.

These closures will affect:

• Recreational lap swimmers.
• Masters swimming clubs.
• Elite and professional athletes including swimmers and triathletes.
• Aquatic sports including swimming, water polo, diving and underwater hockey.
• Families looking for affordable recreational activities during school holidays.
• Children participating in learn-to-swim programs and developing life-saving water safety skills.
• Older South Australians who rely on swimming for low-impact exercise.
• People recovering from injury or illness who use pools for rehabilitation.
• People living with disability who depend on accessible aquatic facilities.

The impacts extend well beyond organised sport.

For many residents, these are their local pools. Between Victor Harbor and metropolitan Adelaide, there will be extremely limited public swimming capacity during this period.

The nearest alternatives may require travelling into the city or south to Victor Harbor—adding considerable travel time, fuel costs and inconvenience for families, clubs and individuals, particularly during a period when many households are already facing cost-of-living pressures.

Public pools also play a critical role when beaches are unsafe. Recent harmful algal blooms along South Australia's coastline have highlighted the need for reliable inland swimming facilities when ocean access is restricted.

We are calling on YMCA South Australia, the South Australian Government and local councils to work together to better coordinate major aquatic facility closures.

Specifically, we ask that:

• The refurbishment of the SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre 50-metre pool be rescheduled until after Marion Outdoor Pool and Noarlunga Aquatic Centre have reopened, where practical.
• Councils, private aquatic facility operators and the South Australian Government coordinate future major aquatic centre upgrades to minimise overlapping closures.
• When overlapping closures cannot be avoided, practical temporary arrangements are implemented to maintain reasonable public access to swimming facilities.

This petition is not about stopping upgrades.

It is about ensuring that essential community infrastructure remains available through better planning, collaboration and consideration of the thousands of South Australians who rely on public pools every week.

With thoughtful coordination, these important upgrades can still proceed without unnecessarily leaving southern Adelaide without adequate public swimming facilities.

Please sign this petition and help ensure public swimming remains accessible while these important upgrades are completed.