Operational Review - Tatiara District Council Swimming Facilities

Description of Services:

• Undertook a comprehensive operational and financial review of the Cooktown Swimming Pool to assess performance, sustainability, safety, customer service, and community value. 
• Reviewed and synthesised key background information and operational data, including three-year income and expenditure trends, profit and loss reporting, fees and charges, membership structures, and program revenue drivers. 
• Completed a Cook Shire community profile analysis to understand local demographic, socio-economic and health characteristics, and their implications for access, affordability and program participation. 
• Analysed financial sustainability and cost drivers, identifying a declining revenue trend alongside increasing operating expenses, with staffing and overtime identified as the dominant driver of the net operating deficit. 
• Benchmarked staffing costs against aquatic industry indicators (including CERM PI Group 5), highlighting a significant wage cost imbalance relative to revenue and comparable Centres, and identified the need for immediate staffing model review. 
• Reviewed user groups and facility access arrangements, including swim club, underwater hockey and school use, considering impacts on equitable access, peak demand periods and revenue-generating program capacity. 
• Assessed Learn to Swim program delivery and systems, identifying operational gaps in documentation, progression pathways, attendance management, and marketing, and provided recommendations to improve retention, performance and revenue growth. 
• Reviewed Centre programming and activation opportunities, including Aqua Aerobics participation and pricing structures, and identified the importance of program cost analysis to inform viability and scheduling decisions. 
• Evaluated marketing and communications capacity, identifying minimal historic promotional activity and recommending practical actions such as development of an annual marketing calendar, improved program materials and establishment of a dedicated Centre social media presence. 
• Assessed customer service performance through mystery shopping, identifying strong staff engagement and welcoming service, while recommending improvements to enquiry tracking and lead conversion processes. 
• Reviewed customer feedback systems and continuous improvement processes, recommending structured feedback mechanisms including QR-based surveys, annual customer satisfaction measurement (including NPS), and “You Said, We Did” reporting practices. 
• Considered operational settings such as open hours and lane allocation, identifying the need for an evidence-based review of seasonal demand, equitable scheduling, and hour-by-hour visitation analysis to improve utilisation and cost efficiency. 
• Delivered a prioritised and practical set of recommendations to support Council decision-making, improve governance and reporting rhythm, and strengthen operational planning across staffing, programming, customer experience and financial sustainability.