Wrong Vacswim info given by dept
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Wrong information given to Govt over Vacswim program. (ABC News)
The Department of Recreation and Sport has admitted that it gave wrong information to acting Sport and Recreation Minister Paul Holloway over the holiday swimming program, Vacswim.
Mr Holloway had said the revamped program was worked out in conjunction with the UniSA, but the University subsequently denied it.
The Department's executive director, Paul Anderson, says the mistake came from his office.
"There was a miscommunication between my office and Minister Holloway over the weekend where we'd had a telephone conversation about someone who'd assisted with lesson plans who'd previously been associated with a university in South Australia," he said.
"It was mistaken as the University of South Australia so ... the information that came out of our office wasn't correct."
Safety benchmarks
The Department says the Royal Life Saving Society's national swimming safety benchmarks are not appropriate for Vacswim.
The private company LeisureCo, which won the three-year, nearly $5 million Government contract last year, has dropped the society's Swim and Survive program from the course.
The Department's Paul Anderson says that does not mean the revamped program is unsafe.
"Now obviously if they're not using the Royal Life component then we're not part of that Royal Life standard," he said.
"But let's be clear, Royal Life's focus through this is on the rescue, Swim and Survive.
"The focus of this [LeisureCo's] program is quite deliberately on personal water safety."
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