A prominent Newcastle diving club that has produced world champions is fighting for its survival, caught in a web of conflicting official advice that has shut down its training facility.
Conflicting Directives Leave Club in Limbo
Hunter United Diving Academy (HUDA) has been restricted to using just a single one-metre springboard at Lambton pool since December 1. The closure of the dive tower, three-metre springboards, and another one-metre board followed two inspections by SafeWork NSW, which identified risks of falls or slips when accessing the equipment.
The club, home to around 70 members and the training ground for Olympians and nine-time world cliff-diving champion Rhiannan Iffland, has pleaded with Newcastle City Council to reopen the facilities. Secretary Helen Lewsam said the club has been repeatedly told by various council representatives that SafeWork NSW required the boards to be closed.
However, correspondence seen by the Herald tells a different story. The office of NSW Minister for Work, Health and Safety, Sophie Cotsis, advised via Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery that SafeWork NSW did not prohibit use of the equipment. The regulator issued five improvement notices with a compliance due date of February 6, 2026, but did not order a closure.
"The decision to prohibit the use of the diving tower was made by council," the advice stated.
Financial Strain and Training Crisis
The confusion and prolonged closure are now having severe consequences for the club. HUDA is missing seven hours of weekly club training and has lost income from coaching nearly 200 school students. The club faces having to partially refund members' fees and has lost all income from summer holiday diving camps.
"This will place the club in financial hardship," Lewsam said. The situation is also jeopardising the competitive futures of its athletes. With no other training facilities between Newcastle and Sydney, divers fear they may not qualify for upcoming state and national championships.
The club paid for costly training sessions at Sydney's Olympic Park in December and has booked another for January, but says this is not a sustainable long-term solution.
Breakdown in Consultation Fuels Distrust
Frustrations have been compounded by what the club describes as a lack of genuine consultation. Despite council assurances that communication with HUDA was "critical," the club was not included in a pre-meeting between council and MPC Consulting Engineers at the pool on December 18.
"We were assured in two emails that HUDA would be involved... Then, to find out we weren't, that rings a whole lot of alarm bells, serious alarm bells," Lewsam said. "We're not part of the consultation process. We're being told what's happened after the event."
A council spokesperson said MPC Consulting Engineers, appointed to identify control measures for the risks, had committed to engaging with HUDA in early January. The risk assessment will commence in the new year, but there is no timeline for reopening.
Council maintains its position is prudent, stating that failure to restrict access would leave it liable if an incident occurred, despite no previous incidents being reported. The diving equipment had significant refurbishments in 2022 and underwent maintenance during the winter closure.
Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery has questioned the council's timing, asking why it did not approach SafeWork NSW during the pool's winter closure to enable repairs before the summer season. "I'm hopeful councillors can rectify this long-term problem ASAP," she said.
For now, a club that consistently punches above its weight remains in limbo, its future hinging on a resolution to a bureaucratic dispute that has left its athletes high and dry.
