Published 1 September 2026

Registrations open for the 2026 National Aquatic Infrastructure Symposium

Registrations are now open for the National Aquatic Infrastructure Symposium, to be held in Adelaide on 7–8 October 2026 and co-hosted by Royal Life Saving Society - Australia and the South Australian Government’s Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing.

Australia’s public pools are at a critical point.

Since the first National Aquatic Infrastructure Symposium in Melbourne in March 2025, construction and delivery costs have escalated further. New facilities have opened while others have closed or face uncertain futures. Mega facilities have been announced, and at the same time modular, scalable models have re-emerged as a serious option for communities that cannot fund or sustain large-scale aquatic centres.

On Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 October 2026, Royal Life Saving Society - Australia will convene the National Aquatic Infrastructure Symposium in Adelaide, co-hosted with the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing, South Australian Government.

The Symposium combines a behind-the-scenes look at Adelaide’s changing aquatic landscape with a national working forum on the future of Australia’s public aquatic infrastructure. It brings together everyone who cares about the future of community swimming pools including asset owners, local governments, policy makers and funders, academics and researchers, planners, architects, engineers, designers, operators, community organisations and user groups.

Royal Life Saving Society - Australia Chief Executive Officer Dr Justin Scarr said the decisions being made now would shape community access to safe water for decades.

“Community pools are far more than sport and recreation facilities. They are essential social infrastructure,” Dr Scarr said.

“They are where children learn the skills that keep them safe in and around water, where older Australians stay active and connected, where communities cool down during extreme heat, and where people of all ages, cultures and abilities can take part together.

“The pressures on the sector are real. Costs have risen sharply, funding is constrained and councils are being asked to make difficult decisions with limited evidence. This Symposium is about facing those realities honestly and getting on with the work of building better solutions together.”

Adelaide facility tours open the program

Day 1 will take participants beyond the forum room and into Adelaide’s changing aquatic infrastructure landscape. Departing at 9:30am, the tour will visit the new Adelaide Aquatic Centre and Payneham Memorial Swimming Centre, and examine renovation and retrofit works at the South Australia Aquatic and Leisure Centre.

Participants will hear directly from asset owners, planners and designers involved in these projects, including Brett Diprose of Warren and Mahoney speaking on the Adelaide Aquatic Centre. Royal Life Saving thanks host organisations YMCA Aquatic and Event Services, BlueFit and the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters.

Day 1 tours are capped at 45 participants and places are allocated in order of registration.

Adam Luscombe, General Manager of YMCA Aquatic and Event Services, said the tour offered a rare opportunity to see facilities at different points in their lifecycle.

“There is enormous value in walking through a facility and hearing the reasoning behind the decisions and what actually worked, what would be done differently and what it takes to operate the asset day to day,” Mr Luscombe said.

“The South Australia Aquatic and Leisure Centre shows what thoughtful renovation and retrofit can achieve in an existing asset. The Adelaide Aquatic Centre shows the cutting edge of what’s possible now for a community facility. Sharing those lessons openly across the sector is how we lift the standard of aquatic facilities nationally, and how we make sure communities get safe, welcoming and sustainable places to swim.”

South Australia co-hosts a national conversation

Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing Chief Executive Kylie Taylor said South Australia was pleased to co-host the Symposium.

“Aquatic facilities sit at the heart of community life in South Australia, supporting participation, water safety, health and wellbeing across metropolitan and regional communities,” Ms Taylor said.

“We are investing in facilities that will serve South Australians for generations, and we know these decisions are complex, costly and long term. Bringing the national conversation to Adelaide allows us to share what we are learning — from major new facilities through to the renewal of much-loved local pools — and to learn from others working through the same challenges.”

Program focus

The Day 2 forum begins at 9:00am at Crowne Plaza Adelaide, bringing together leaders from government, local councils, aquatic operations, planning, design, engineering and research to examine the evidence, investment decisions, operating models, planning approaches and emerging technologies shaping the future of community pools. The program will explore:

• Cost escalations — what is driving them, why it matters and how the sector can adapt
• Evidence-informed planning — new data models being used to deliver the facilities communities actually need, now and into the future
• The realities facing funders and policy makers
• Modular concepts and opportunities
• New technologies creating greater flexibility, adaptability and resilience
• Access and inclusion — who needs facilities most, and how to ensure they work for everyone
• Sustainability — getting the most from every facility and the best value for money, planet and people

The Symposium will culminate in a facilitated national workshop focused on one shared goal: building a national plan to save community pools.

A networking function will be held at Crowne Plaza Adelaide on the evening of Day 1. Accommodation is available at Crowne Plaza Adelaide, the forum venue.

Places are limited.

Register now: royallifesaving.com.au/national-aquatic-infrastructure-symposium

Event details

• Dates: Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 October 2026
• Day 1 facility tour: departs 9:30am, capped at 45 participants, allocated in order of registration
• Day 1 evening: networking function, Crowne Plaza Adelaide
• Day 2 forum: 9:00am, Crowne Plaza Adelaide
• Accommodation: Crowne Plaza Adelaide Discounted Accommodation: here
• Registration: royallifesaving.com.au/national-aquatic-infrastructure-symposium

Partners

Co-host: Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing, South Australian Government

Event sponsors: Myrtha Pools and Lynxight

Program collaborating partners: Warren Green Consulting, IAKS ANZ, Parks and Leisure Australia, Warren and Mahoney, Beca Engineering, LARCAN, Otium Planning Group and National Sports Convention

Media partner: Australasian Leisure Management

Note: PLA and IAKS members are able to register at a 10% discount. Please contact events@rlssa.org.au with proof of membership to receive a code for registration.

Tour hosts: YMCA Aquatic and Event Services, BlueFit and the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters

The Symposium is an initiative of Royal Life Saving’s Aquatic Industry Development Strategy developed by the National Aquatic Industry Committee.

ENDS

Media enquiries

RJ Houston, Chief Operating Officer

Royal Life Saving Society - Australia

M: 0403 340 033 E: rjhouston@rlssa.org.au