In its 2006-07 Budget the Australian Government announced that it would issue regulations to enable a broader range of personal aquatic survival skills courses to be GST free.
The Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer, Peter Dutton, today announced details of the proposed minimum competencies in aquatic survival skills training an instructor will need to hold to provide courses GST free.
“The competencies I propose be listed in the regulations have been determined after consultation with the aquatic survival skills industry. The competencies will allow a broader range of personal aquatic survival skills courses to be GST free’, Mr Dutton said
The competencies are from the current Community Recreation Industry Training Package under the National Training Framework. The certificate the instructor must hold in the competencies will need to have been issued by a registered training organisation. Training in those competencies will be within the scope of the registered training organisation’s registration under the Australian Quality Training Framework of National Training Framework.
The competencies for inclusion in the proposed regulations are as follows:
| Proposed competency | Competency standards under the National Training Framework (national unit code) |
Respond to aquatic emergency using basic water rescue techniques |
SRC AQU 003A, SRC AQU 003B* |
Apply the principles of movement in water to aquatic activities |
SRC AQU 008A, SRC AQU 008B |
Instruct water familiarisation, buoyancy and mobility skills |
SRC AQU 009A, SRC AQU 009B |
Instruct water safety and survival skills |
SRC AQU 010A, SRC AQU 010B |
Instruct the strokes of swimming |
SRC AQU 011A, SRC AQU 011B |
Operate in accordance with accepted instructional practices, styles and legal and ethical responsibilities |
SRC CRO 007A, SRC CRO 007B |
*‘B’ units reflect updated Australian Quality Framework competencies and are equivalent to ‘A’ units.
“Subject to approval by the Executive Council, regulations will be made shortly giving effect to the GST free treatment of personal aquatic survival skills courses”, Mr Dutton said.
The inclusion of the competencies has received the unanimous agreement of the States and Territories under the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Reform of Commonwealth‑State Financial Relations.