8.00am

Registration and Arrival Tea & Coffee

9.00am

Welcome and Introduction

9.30am – 2.30pm

Swimming and Water Safety Skills

Ensuring that all children have access to swimming and water safety programs and achieve National Benchmarks.

Key topics:

• Who, what & why of ‘missing out’
• Lowering barriers to access
• Youth development and empowerment
• Workshop: setting a collective agenda

Presentations include:

• An overview of swimming and water safety advocacy, why this issue matters
  • Peter Leaversuch, CEO, Royal Life Saving Western Australia
• Water Skills for Life - a New Zealand perspective on the issues and solutions on missing out on learning to swim
  • Daniel Gerrard, CEO Water Safety New Zealand
• Who's at risk, what they need and how can it be done?
  • Dr Hannah Calverley, Manager – Research and Evaluation, Life Saving Victoria
• Localising strategy so 'no child misses out' - lessons from Frankston
  • Kath Thom, CEO, Peninsula Leisure
• Increasing the user base for sport and physical activity at the grassroots by leveraging diversity and inclusion
  • Kym McMahon, National Diversity and Inclusion Participation Manager, Australian Football League (AFL)
• Tackling retention and increasing partipation with a post learn to swim pathway using a local lens
  • Janelle Falkingham, Aquatic Program Manager, the Y Victoria
• Learning from Bambigi: a grassroots youth-lead first nations swimming initiative
  • Piper Steward, Bambigi

Panel discussions include:

• How can we better leverage the advocacy and frameworks in place to ensure no child misses out?
  • Brad Low, CEO, AUSTSWIM
  • Grant Connors, General Manager - Programs, Belgravia
  • Kate Simpson, General Manager – Governance, Club Support & Education
  • Daniel Gerrard, CEO Water Safety New Zealand
• How to strengthen programs which support lowering barriers to access swimming and water safety programs
  • Kath Thom, CEO, Peninsula Leisure
  • Peter Leaversuch, CEO, Royal Life Saving Western Australia
• Youth Panel: How can we create pathways and programs that excite and engage youth and young people into lifelong enjoyment of swimming,  lifesaving and aquatic recreation?
  • Piper Stewart, Bambigi
  • Sahar Ehsani, LSV CALD program graduate
  • Lifesaving sport ambassador  (pending)
  • The Y youth advocate (pending)

Facilitated workshop (all delegates):

• Developing a collective agenda towards universal swimming and water safety skills and greater participation and retention in swimming and lifesaving

3.00pm – 5.00pm

Workforce

Raising the profile of the industry as a career opportunity and ensuring the workforce is sustainable, supported, diverse and capable.

Key topics:

• Attracting, retaining and developing talent
• Spotlighting the National Aquatic Industry Profile (2022)
• Raising the profile of the industry as a career opportunity

Presentations include:

• National Aquatic Workforce Survey 2022: Results
  • Shaun Jackson, National Manager - Training & Workforce Development, Royal Life Saving Australia
• Victorian Swim Teacher Retention Project
  • Kate Simpson, General Manager – Governance, Club Support & Education
• Attracting the Right  People - Perspectives from the Y
  • Adam Luscombe -  General Manager YMCA Victoria / SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre
• The Australian Apprenticeship Incentive System - What does it mean for aquatic industry roles?
  • Bill Mollison, Manager Victoria, Skills Programs - Department of Employment & Workplace Relations (DEWR)
• Creating a work environment that people want to stay in
  • Nicky Sloan, Chief People Officer, City Venue Management
• Developing your people to grow and lead your organisation through new opportunities and challenges
  • Kara Monaghan, Regional Manager VIC / TAS, Belgravia Leisure

Panel discussions include:

• What kinds of pathways are available to people who start out in aquatics?
  • Alex Ash, CEO, Gymnastics Australia
  • Ben Tudhope, General Manager - Partnerships, Aligned Leisure
  • John Clark, CEO, South East Leisure
  • Adam Luscombe -  General Manager YMCA Victoria / SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre
• How do we raise the profile of aquatic industry jobs, to attract and retain talent?
  • Nicky Sloan, Chief People Officer, City Venue Management
  • Kara Monaghan, Regional Manager VIC / TAS, Belgravia Leisure
  • Kathy Parton, CEO, Aquatics and Recreation Victoria
  • Victoria Clarke, Project Manager, Swim Jobs Victoria
  • Emma Jackson, Manager, Active Recreation, Sport and Recreation Victoria

5.00pm

Wrap-up and Close

5.15pm-6.15pm

Networking Function

Network together over nibbles and refreshments.

8.30am

Arrival Tea & Coffee

9.00am

Welcome and Introduction

9.30am – 12.00pm

Workforce (continued from Day 1)

Raising the profile of the industry as a career opportunity and ensuring the workforce is sustainable, supported, diverse and capable.

• Diversity & Inclusion and social impact
• Expanding the talent pool, creating career pathways and new value propositions
• Workshop: setting a collective agenda

Presentations include:

• How recruiting diverse lived experience can transform your organisation’s culture
  • Matthew Haanappel, OAM PLY, Diversity & Inclusion Manager, AUSTSWIM Limited
• Creating welcoming and inclusive sports workplaces and facilities for the LGBTQIA+ community
  • Emily Fox, Manager - Capacity Building, Proud2Play
• Why diversity matters in grassroots sport
  • Richard Quail / Kym McMahon, AusKick National Manager, Diversity & Inclusion National Manager, AFL
• Collective Leisure a work integration social enterprise (WISE)
  • David Byrnes, CEO, Collective Leisure

Panel discussions include:

• Why is diversity & inclusion important, what are we doing well, what can we do differently?
  • Matthew Haanappel, OAM PLY, Diversity & Inclusion Manager, AUSTSWIM Limited
  • Stan Wall, Lifeguarding Services Australia (HumanAbility)
  • Emily Fox, Manager - Capacity Building, Proud2Play
  • Richard Quail / Kym McMahon, AusKick National Manager, Diversity & Inclusion National Manager, AFL

Facilitated workshop (all delegates)

Developing a collective agenda towards:

• Supporting increased attraction, retention and development of talent within an increasingly diverse workforce
• Improving the professionalisation of the aquatic industry workforce
• Evolving business models based around social enterprise and value creation for all stakeholders

12.30pm – 5.00pm

Infrastructure

Developing a roadmap to ensure the ongoing availability and sustainability of fit-for-purpose aquatic facilities.

Key topics:

• Understanding the current state of aquatic infrastructure in Australia
• Current approaches to aquatic facility planning and delivery
• Designing for impact and challenging the norm
• Being good ancestors – lessons and reflections
• Workshop: setting a collective agenda

Presentations include:

• Overview of State of Aquatic Facility Infrastructure
  • John Summers, Managing Director, Leisure Management Excellence
• Challenges maintaining regional swimming pools
  • Steve Good, Executive Director, LIWA Aquatics WA
• Current challenges in swimming pool construction
  • Steve Meikle, General Manager, Commercial Aquatics Australia
• Reflections and lessons from recent Australian projects
  • Miranda Markovic, Senior Consultant, Otium Planning Group
• Vision, Leadership and Future Proofing New Facilities – Are we master planning for current thinking and the squeaky wheels in the community or for future generations of participants and managers?
  • Martin Shepperd, Smart Connections
• Rejuvenating regional public pools – pitching a new model
  • Andy Dennis, General Manager - Training and Aquatic Industry, Life Saving Victoria
• Research into planning of aquatic facilities - key learnings
  • Dr Katie McDonald, Adjunct Research Fellow Victoria University, Leisure Planner @ Leisure
• How to create community buildings with impact
  • Melissa Higgs, Principal Architect, HCMA Architects Vancouver
• The Social Impact of the Aquatic Industry - the role of people and places
  • Professor Emma Sherry, Sport Innovation Research Group, Swinburne University
• Building carbon neutral, or net-negative aquatic facilities – is it possible in Australia?
  • Brett Diprose, Associate Principal Architect, Warren and Mahoney
• Delivering pools in remote Aboriginal Communities
  • Peter Leaversuch, CEO, Royal Life Saving Western Australia

Panel discussions include:

• Rising utility costs – understanding the impacts on aquatic facilities now and into the future
  • Steve Good, Executive Director, LIWA Aquatics WA
  • Amanda Locke, Manager of Leisure and Recreation, City of Greater Geelong
  • Steve Meikle, General Manager, Commercial Aquatics Australia
• Are we planning for swimming pools appropriately?
  • Tim Goward, Executive Coordinator Aquatics City of Gold Coast
  • Phil Saikaly, Director Sport and Recreation Victoria
  • Dr Katie McDonald, Adjunct Research Fellow, Victoria University
  • Martin Shepperd, Managing Director, Smart Connections
  • Miranda Markovic & Bruce Mackay, Otium Planning Group
• Are we building the right facilities that communities actually need, now and in the future?
  • John Summers, Managing Director, Leisure Management Excellence
  • Professor Emma Sherry, Swinburne University
  • Dr John Tower, Research Fellow, Victoria University

Facilitated workshop (all delegates):

Developing a collective agenda towards:

• What can we do to design and build fit-for-purpose aquatic facilities?
• How we can increase the impact of the industry through infrastructure?
• How we can ensure what we do now meets the needs of the generations of swimmers to come?

5.00pm

Wrap-up and Close