Public pool at centre of fight to change 'appalling' disaster policy

Council calls for Wingham Memorial Pool to be considered essential infrastructure In short: Wingham's only public pool has been closed since it was severely damaged in last year's record floods. A 16-month bid to secure disaster funding for the rebuild project has paid off, with the prime minister recently announcing $15 million in grants. A new local council taskforce met for the first time on Monday to discuss potential changes to disaster-funding models, with the Wingham Memorial Pool rebuild expected to commence next year. It was not so long ago that residents of Wingham, on the NSW Mid North Coast, feared their only public pool might close due to mounting maintenance costs and dwindling attendance numbers. Then came a record-breaking flood, which took the decision out of everyone's hands. The pool suffered severe structural damage as 700 millimetres of rain fell on Wingham and Taree in May 2025, cracking and damaging its foundations, plumbing and reticulation system as the flood-soaked soil moved beneath it. The news was another blow to a devastated community, as they realised what they had lost. "The fact the pool was destroyed, it had an effect on people's wellbeing,"Mid Coast Mayor Claire Pontin said. "I'm sure even the people who didn't use the pool felt the loss of it because it just dampened the mood, sorry for the pun, right across Wingham." Bob Clarke, who swam four days a week while the pool was open, said the health of the region's elderly had suffered since its closure. "That's exercise I now don't get; but there are a lot of people that aren't getting that exercise," he said. "It's a needed asset." Loss of swimming lessons concerning Kate Spriggs, whose father helped campaign for the community-funded pool in the 1960s, said its closure also meant many families in Wingham and surrounding communities were missing out on swimming lessons. "There are families that have been able to travel to Taree, but we also know there's a significant proportion of our community who can't afford to travel," she said. "It's just not viable for them." According to a Royal Life Saving Australia 2025 report, the swim skills of Australian children are declining. The report found about half of Australian year 6 pupils were unable to swim a 50-metre pool lap or tread water for two minutes. A 2024 study assessing the social value of Australia's pools also found they were crucial for community members of all backgrounds to connect and develop social connections, significantly improving people's health and wellbeing. The situation galvanised the community, which embarked on a 16-month campaign to secure funding for a rebuild. Last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced $15 million in state and federal funding for the project, which Ms Spriggs described as "fantastic news". "Not only does the pool bring health benefits but it's the social connections that it brings to the community, an opportunity for people to spend time with each other … to bring other towns to the area," she said. An 'appalling policy' But while funding has now been secured, the fact the pool was not considered "essential public infrastructure" meant it was not immediately eligible for disaster funding. Cr Pontin said she had spoken to federal Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain about changing the classification. "It's absolutely an appalling policy," she said. The minister said feedback from councils would be considered, with a new local government taskforce discussing disaster funding challenges during their first meeting this week. Cr Pontin said changes to the disaster categorisation system and new support package options for councils were also being developed in response to increased frequency and severity of natural disasters. "The thing councils have spoken to me about is trying to streamline the process as much as possible," Ms McBain said. "We know already that there is an audit process that the state requires and then there's a separate audit process that the federal government requires. "We are working really closely with them … so councils can access that money quicker." The minister said while securing funding for the Wingham Memorial Pool had been a "process", the correct steps had been followed to get "the right outcome". "In a disaster we have to get communities moving as soon as possible, which is why that essential public asset rebuild looks at roads and bridges to make sure communities remain connected," she said. "But it is important we take those recreational assets into account." Cr Pontin said the Wingham pool could be reopened by December 2027.