ALL NSW backyard pools will have to be registered under a safety crackdown by the state government.
Under the proposed legislation, a statewide online registry will be established and the 340,000 pools in NSW will have to be registered within 12 months, Local Government Minister Don Page said.
Property owners who don't register their pools within that time will face fines of $2200.
Safety compliance inspections will also be conducted by councils and private operators at an expected cost of $150.
"If ... their pool [is] found to be non-compliant they can be fined $5000," Mr Page said.
Any property with a pool will also have to undergo inspection before it's sold or leased.
"Research indicates that by increasing compliance with pool barrier requirements the rate of infant death by drowning could be reduced by up to 41 per cent," Mr Page said.
On average, six children drown each year in NSW backyard pools and about 36 children suffer brain damage from swimming pool accidents, Mr Page said.
Joanne Morris, whose nine-year-old son Samuel was left severely disabled after he nearly drowned in a poorly fenced pool as a two-year-old, said the proposed legislation was a good start.
"These new changes are great but I hope they tighten it up in the future," she said.
Mr Page said he hoped the bill would be passed during this parliamentary session. AAP
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