Parks and Leisure Australia

Exciting news! Our autumn edition of the AP&L journal is officially available online. At Parks and Leisure Australia, sustainability matters. While we've gone digital to reduce our environmental impact, rest assured, the content remains just as enriching and informative as ever. Access the journal here: https://lnkd.in/gVvGSaRn Happy reading!

🎉 Exciting News for Our Members! 🎉 We’re celebrating the incredible initiatives of our members by offering TWO FREE TICKETS to our Queensland Awards of Excellence event for all members who submit an award nomination! This event will feature an inspiring workshop with guest speakers, an awards ceremony, and networking drinks—don’t miss out! With the impact of Cyclone Alfred, we’ve extended the Queensland Awards of Excellence submission deadline to COB Friday, March 21 to give everyone more time. Our thoughts are with those affected. 💙 Get your submissions in and claim your free tickets! 🎟️ parksleisure.com.au/awards

🏆 Nominate a Park for the Park of the Year Award! 🌿 Do you know a park that stands out for its vibrant design, successful management, or revitalization? Let’s celebrate these incredible spaces! This award honors excellence in park design and management, showcasing best practices in the industry. ⏳ Nominations close midnight, Sunday 16 March 2025! Don’t miss this chance—your project could qualify for multiple awards across 12 categories! 📩 Submit your nomination here > parksleisure.com.au/awards

🌸 Celebrating Women in Our Industry This #IWD2025 🌸 At PLA, we champion gender diversity every day. But today, on International Women's Day, we take a moment to celebrate all the incredible women who represent the people behind the places—our members and changemakers who make our industry great. Let’s continue to support, uplift, and drive change together. Learn more about how you can make a difference as a PLA member and within the industry here: https://lnkd.in/gh_wK-mJ #IWD2025 #GenderEquity #PeopleBehindThePlaces #ParksAndLeisure

🌱 Happy Parks Week! We are officially underway! 🌱 Join the Guided Forest Therapy Walk by an Accredited Guide with activities to awaken your senses on Wednesday, March 5th. Bookings essential. See event details here: https://lnkd.in/gXbe2E7R Let us know which Parks Week events you have attended or will be attending ⬇

1 Week Extension for Regional Awards of Excellence Nominations! We have heard your voices expressing concerns about getting your submissions in on time. To make sure you have the time to put in the best submission possible, we are allowing an extra week to get them in. Don't miss out on the opportunity to showcase your contributions to our industry. Submit your nomination before midnight on 16 March 2025. https://lnkd.in/gPxn7YPY

In the spirit of Parks Week 2025, Recreation Aotearoa | Te Whai Oranga are offering our PLA members an opportunity to sign up and attend for FREE, their City Nature Challenge webinar this Wednesday, 5th March, 1pm NZT. If you are interested, please contact membership@parksleisure.com.au for further details.

New research shows public swimming pools aren’t just places to swim, they are vital community assets for drowning prevention, physical and mental wellbeing, and social connection. But access to these essential facilities is far from equal. The State of Australian Aquatic Facilities 2025 report establishes critical national benchmarks across pool access, safety incidents, sustainability, and social value, giving the aquatic industry, governments, and communities the data needed to drive real change. New data reveals aquatic facilities are visited over 421 million times annually and deliver an estimated $12.84 billion in social value each year, supporting drowning prevention, physical activity, mental wellbeing, and community cohesion. Key Findings: 🔹 New infrastructure mapping identifies Australia’s 50 most disadvantaged communities for public pool access 🔹 1 in 4 Australians are at risk of missing out on local public pools 🔹 The national average aquatic facility provisioning ratio is 1 aquatic facility per 12,826 population 🔹 Nearly 500 public pools are reaching the end of their operational lifespan "Public pools are essential infrastructure, yet 1 in 4 Australians, particularly in rapidly growing suburbs, have limited local access to safe swimming, aquatic exercise, or water safety education. Without action, the gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ will only widen," says RJ Houston, General Manager - Capability & Industry at Royal Life Saving Australia. “While there’s encouraging signs of increased investment, the next critical step is targeted and coordinated programs, underpinned by a national public pool planning framework. This includes support for feasibility plans for public pools in disadvantaged areas and driving innovation in infrastructure offerings and investment models.” To address these challenges, we are convening a National Aquatic Infrastructure Symposium in March 2025. This will bring together industry leaders, policymakers, and communities to shape a national public pool planning framework, ensuring better policies, funding and access for all. Read the full report and help us shape the future of aquatic infrastructure: https://bit.ly/3DjTbWE #AquaticFacilities #PublicPools #DrowningPrevention #Accessibility #InfrastructurePlanning

🌟 Exciting News! 🌟 We’re thrilled to welcome DOOMADGEE ABORIGINAL SHIRE COUNCIL as Parks and Leisure Australia’s first Queensland Aboriginal Shire Council members! 🎉 Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council is dedicated to fostering active lifestyles and enhancing the health and well-being of their community. We can’t wait to share, learn, and grow together! ❤️💛🖤 https://lnkd.in/dY6hMcFa

Parks Week 2025 starts next week! This year, we have an outstanding number of events for you to attend. We would like to thank Wellington Shire Council for their amazing job in organising multiple of these events including Baby’s Day Out, Kids Day Out, Sale Music Festival and MacBeth in the Botanic Gardens, just to name a few! Keep up to date with all Parks Week Events here > https://lnkd.in/gEzdaFMJ