SPASA and PASCAA unite

The boards of the Swimming Pool and Spa Association of Australia (SPASA) and the Pool and Spa Covers Association of Australia (PASCAA) have agreed in principle to unify.

The industry peak body SPASA represents the swimming pool and spa market across Australasia, while PASCAA is a collaboration of leading Australian manufacturers and fabricators of pool and spa covers.

The merger process is planned to be finalised before the SPLASH! Pool & Spa Trade Show in July 2020.

In a joint statement, SPASA chairman Rob Kruber and PASCAA president Derek Prince agreed:

“SPASA and PASCAA are dedicated to the service of our industry. As the aquatics industry continues to evolve the association must keep up with the demands of members, regulators and consumers. We are excited to build a vision where we can achieve even more together.”

“PASCAA is proud to merge with our peak industry body SPASA Australia,” continues Prince. “SPASA Australia set out to and has achieved their clear goals to build our national industry body and PASCAA has seen the importance of one industry body to unify our swimming pool industry. This merger will deliver a better outcome for the swimming pool industry and ultimately the consumer.”

SPASA CEO Lindsay McGrath says that SPASA actively seeks to represent and deliver benefits to all sectors of the industry in every region, and that this merger is another step in providing a better result for members.

“This merger is a perfect example of what listening to industry can achieve. SPASA represents all facets of the industry and can evolve to provide more to members whether they are in Darwin or Perth, Melbourne or Auckland,” he says. “We are continuing to look for more opportunities to improve our offering to industry.”

This announcement follows from other expansions since the national body merged with New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland in 2017, including the acquisition of SPLASH! magazine, Pool+Spa magazine and the SPLASH! Pool & Spa Trade Show, and expanded local support in areas such as New Zealand, the Northern Territory and Tasmania.

Evolution of PASCAA

By Derek Prince

PASCAA was formed to protect consumers and the industry from substandard products before the incorporation of SPASA Australia.

With the droughts in early 2000s, governments and water bodies around Australia brought in regulation and in some places rebates on pool covers that were Smart Approved Watermarked.

The increased demand obviously brought out some people’s desire to sell any product as cheap as possible regardless of quality because the pool cover would stop evaporation. However the swimming pool industry knows that a poor quality pool cover simply does not last – we were hearing regular stories of pool covers lasting merely months.

In the beginning Smart Approved Watermark did not understand completely what a fit-for-purpose pool cover was. With no nationally incorporated SPASA organisation that could lobby government or Smart Approved Watermark, the pool cover industry formed our own nationally incorporated association so we could engage and influence governments and Smart Approved Watermark.

After the formation of PASCAA and the introduction of minimum standards for Australian fit-for-purpose pool covers, Smart Approved Watermark adopted the PASCAA testing methods for minimum standards – a great outcome for industry and consumers alike.

Then we fast forward a few years to see the formation of a nationally incorporated SPASA Australia that amalgamated most states.

SPASA Australia adopted PASCAA minimum standards as the benchmark for a fit-for-purpose pool cover in Australia.

With the incorporation of SPASA Australia, PASCAA like many other industry bodies was keen to see a unified industry body however felt that SPASA Australia needed to have more than a plan. They needed to put “runs on the board” to show that they truly were the peak national industry body for the whole industry not only for builders like SPASA of old, but as a swimming pool industry advocate for builders, retail, service and suppliers. We were all hoping to see a SPASA for the industry as a whole.

PASCAA has been working alongside SPASA Australia for a few years now. With current agendas of the heating sector committee and Standards Australia proposals along with the advocacy activity, PASCAA believes that SPASA Australia has exceeded their plans and the time is right for all in our industry to unite under one national SPASA Australia.

We believe mergers like this increase resources and unify deliverables to all areas of the swimming pool industry for PR and advocacy to consumers, regulators and everyone who is even remotely connected to the swimming pool and spa industry.

PASCAA is proud to be that latest merger with SPASA Australia and looks forward to further working under the SPASA Australia brand.