SPASA Victoria Bulletin June 2015

Winners of the SPASA 2015 Awards of Excellence programme were honoured on Saturday 13th June at a gala dinner held at the Plaza Ballroom, Collins Street in Melbourne. The dinner, attended by 350 people is the biggest industry event on the Victorian calendar and was a night to remember.

SPASA CEO Brendan Watkins congratulated the winners of the awards and commented “The winners, who include key industry leaders and achievers, should all be very proud of their achievements. They’ve built another stunning showcase of pools, spas and products for us to take to the consumer market, how could anyone not be excited with this wonderous array of images?”.

Watkins added that "It was a new dawn in many ways, with six first-time entrants receiving recognition for excellence. Growing entries by 20%, compared to the previous year, also demonstrates healthy competition among our most passionate members”.

The 2015 Remco Pool of the Year (pictured left) was awarded to Out from the Blue, while Product of the Year went to Sunbather for their 'Information Kiosk. 

A highlight of the evening was two Life Member Award's presented to Past President's Mike Pettigrew and Des Berry for their significant contribution to SPASA and the industry in general.

The evening, themed to co-incide with The Lion King upstairs at the Regent Theatre, showcased fantastic entertainment, great food and wine keeping guests enthralled right up to the announcement of the Pool Of The Year. What a night it was!

Thank-you to our sponsors for supporting the event and to our members for getting involved in the awards programme.
To view a full list of award winners click HERE.

Event photos can be viewed HERE, by entering the generic username and password. Members can request a high-resolution version of any photograph by quoting the reference number to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or calling 9501 2040.

For your chance to win a SPASA $200 credit voucher, we are asking attendees to complete a short survey, providing feedback on the night. Tell us what you liked, what you didn't like or even suggest a theme. This will assist us in improving the experience for coming years.

Click HERE start the survey, using your username and password to access the member's section of the website.

All Award winners will shortly receive details regarding the use of the Award logos for marketing use.

We look forward to seeing you back at The Plaza Ballroom for the 2016 Awards of Excellence Gala dinner to be held on Saturday 25th June - make a note in your diary. Also, as noted by John D’Arcy, prospective Board members are invited to contact either Rob Kruber on 0419 004 896 or Brendan Watkins on 03 9501 2040 to express interest. Those interested in 2016 Awards Sponsorship opportunities should contact Angela on 03 9501 2040.

SPASA has released a new User Guide to assist Builder Members and their staff, in utilising the online contract system.
A copy of the User Guide can be downloaded from HERE.

Builder Members interested in accessing the online system are invited to contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 03 9501 2040.

Review of SPASA Contracts
SPASA regularly seeks a full review of our contracts and has recently enlisted the services of specialist construction lawyers to review the full suite of association contracts. Advice is also being sought on the development of appropriate contracts for those installing above-ground and portable products.

SPASA is hosting a FREE Contracts Training Session on Wednesday 12 August, including an additional presentation on the Online Contract System. All SPASA Pool Builder and Restricted Members are urged to attend. Our presenters are John D'Arcy and Scott Garrett.

The course will be run from 12.30 pm - 3.00pm at the SPASA offices. The Registration form can be downloaded from HERE.

The VBA has created a swimming pools, spas and their safety barriers checklist to advise home-owners of their obligations, before, during and after construction.

In Victoria, the design, construction and installation of swimming pools, spas and safety barriers are subject to strict building requirements under the Building Regulations 2006. The Regulations also contain ongoing legal obligations for pool and spa owners to maintain their safety barriers at all times.

Compliance with the Regulations improves safety outcomes. Non-compliance, for any reason, can increase the risk of drowning and lead to prosecution by the VBA or local councils. Any home-owner who engages in building a pool or spa and associated safety barriers must familiarise themselves with the Regulations.

For more information visit www.vba.vic.gov.au.

National Convention & Supplier Expo. 24 - 25 August 2015. Sydney Showground

This two day industry event will provide SPASA members with an education and information base, together with an opportunity to showcase their products and services in addition to ongoing business networking.

Exhibitors include suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and service providers from every sector of the pool and spa industry.

Hours:
Monday, August 24th 10 AM to 5 PM
Tuesday, August 25 10 AM to 4 PM
Admission is free.

Reserve your seat to hear keynote speakers and seminars via www.Trybooking.com

To book discounted accommodation call Phil Stromei on 0433 145 781 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For more information go to www.spasaconvention.org.au or contact Gary Nye, CEO, SPASA Australia on 03 8588 1195

A CROYDON North homeowner has been slapped with a $15,000 council fine for not maintaining a swimming pool fence. The resident was also ordered by Ringwood Magistrates’ Court recently to pay $6800 in legal costs.

Maroondah City Council mayor Tony Dib said the case would send a clear message to people to meet pool safety regulations, even in the colder months.

“Council takes water safety extremely seriously and the substantial penalty imposed by the court confirms just what a significant risk a swimming pool with inadequate fencing poses to the local community,” Cr Dib said.

“The outcome also sends a clear message to other Maroondah property owners — that they must provide and maintain compliant swimming pool or spa safety barriers in line with building regulations.”

Help the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale Creative Team

The Creative Team behind the Australian Exhibition at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale are now seeking short narratives and photographs from the public that explain their unique experiences of the Australian pool.

The Pool by Sydney based practice Aileen Sage and urban strategist Michelle Tabet, was announced as the winning proposal for the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale on April 21, and will profile some of Australia’s most remarkable pools, whether they are natural or manmade, inland or coastal, temporary or permanent.

Read more here

Many California cities are considering bans on filling and refilling pools after the governor mandated a statewide 25-percent reduction in urban water use.

While some examples such as Santa Barbara have rejected the proposition, others such as Beverly Hills plan to move forward.

New cities exploring such measures continue to be added to the list.

Interested people can read more of the article here.

Laws exist that make anti-entrapment drains a requirement in commercial pools and spas, but American consumers are being urged to check their own back yards to be sure. 

The very quick and valuable lesson on what to look for (and why) is brought to you by the ZAC Foundation. 

To learn more about how to help keep family, friends and community safe, visit www.thezacfoundation.com and www.abbeyshope.org.

For those looking for a concise history of entrapments, good consumer advice and the history of the US VGM laws, click here

• Do you store clients/customers/employees personal details electronically?
• Do you sell products or services online?
• Is data important to your business?
• Are systems critical in the day-to-day operation of your business?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then you should have a Cyber Insurance policy in place.

Cybercrime is the fastest growing crime in the world with professional criminal syndicates targeting vulnerable small to medium sized businesses, as they often don’t have the resources to invest adequately in security.

The potential for data breaches comes not just from cyber criminals, but also disgruntled or uneducated employees, software viruses, or loss of portable devices. Data is precious and valuable and if you lose it you could face severe penalties, damage to your reputation or be unable to operate your business.

For more information on how to protect your business from cyber threats please contact Sarah from Austbrokers Phillips on (03) 8586 9333 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The ACCC is warning small business operators to think twice before opening email files that could contain ransomware. The ACCC’s latest Targeting Scams Report shows that almost $1 million was lost to these scams last year.

Ransomware is a type of malware that infects a computer system by restricting access unless a ransom is paid to a scammer for the restriction to be removed.

“The ACCC received over 2,500 ransomware and malware complaints last year with over $970,000 reported lost by small businesses and consumers. Several people reported losing over $10,000 to these scams, which can have a devastating effect on a small business,” ACCC Deputy Chair Dr Michael Schaper said.

SCAMwatch offers these tips to protect you and your business from ransomware:

• Ensure your computer has a firewall and up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware software.
• Do not click on links or download files in emails you receive out of the blue; especially if they are executable (.exe) files or zip files. These files are likely to contain malware.
• Use a pop-up blocker as a lot of ransomware is delivered after following links in pop-up alerts.
• If there is any doubt about the legitimacy of an email supposedly from a legitimate business, do not rely on contact details or links provided or open any attachments - contact the organisation using the number in the telephone directory or on their official website to verify.
• Regularly back-up your computer’s data on a separate hard drive so this can be easily re-installed if your computer is infected by malware or ransomware.

For more information, please read the full media release.

The ATO has published guidance on the Government’s proposal to allow small business to immediately deduct each asset that costs less than $20,000.

Deputy Commissioner Steve Vesperman said while legislation to give effect to the proposal has not yet been enacted, it will apply to all small businesses with a turnover of less than $2 million.

The legislation will backdate eligibility to Budget night, Tuesday 12 May 2015, so that assets acquired on or after 7:30pm (AEST) on that night will be eligible for the concession.

Small businesses will still need to pool assets over $20,000 and depreciate these at a rate 15 per cent in the first year and 30 per cent each year thereafter.

For more information refer to the ATO's alert on the immediate deductibility for assets less than $20 000.

Spa & Pool Show at MCEC (Winter Show) – Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 August

Pool Construction Essentials – Tuesday 11 August

Contract Training – Wednesday 12 August

SPASA 2016 Advertising Offer Launch – Friday 14 August

Hydraulics – Tuesday 18 & Wednesday 19 August

Chemistry Basic – Friday 21 August

Chemistry Advanced – Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 August

White Card Training (Construction Induction) – Friday 11 September

SPASA Board Nominations – Wednesday 16 September - Friday 2 October

SPASA Board Ballot – Friday 9 October - Friday 6 November

SPASA 2016 Advertising Offer Close – Friday 30 October

2015 AGM – Wednesday 11 November

2016

Pool & Spa Show at MCEC (Summer Show) – Friday 5 - Sunday 6 February

Awards of Excellence Gala Dinner – Saturday 25 June

Spa & Pool Show at MCEC (Winter Show) – Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 August

2017
Pool & Spa Show at MCEC (Summer Show) – Friday 3 - Sunday 5 February

Spa & Pool Show at MCEC (Winter Show) – Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 August

2018
Pool & Spa Show at MCEC (Summer Show) – Friday 9 - Sunday 11 February

Spa & Pool Show at MCEC (Winter Show) – Saturday 11 & Sunday 12 August