We are the Muslim sisters of Banyule. Our faith requires us to dress modestly and not reveal parts of our bodies to Men unless they are family. The women’s only Friday night swimming program at Olympic Leisure Centre has given us and our children a culturally appropriate space to learn to swim, exercise and come together as a community since 2001.

 

Our community consists of full-time carers to children with special needs, cancer survivors, women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and women facing significant socio-economic disadvantages. The women’s swimming program is one of the few accessible council services provided to the Muslim community in Banyule and the Banyule Council’s decision to close the aquatic facilities on October 31st 2025 will be detrimental to many women. We rely on this program for social connection and participation in healthy lifestyle activities. This is a place we feel connected to, it is our home, many women in our community do not have access to their own car and must walk to the pool.

 

We feel there has been blatant disregard for this important space and the Muslim community in West Heidelberg since the 12m kids pool was permanently closed due to lack of maintenance in 2021. Because of safety regulations our children are no longer allowed to join us at the women’s swimming program on Friday nights (25m pool is too deep). Prior to the kids pool closing, we were able to use the aquatic facilities as a family, we could bring our children to practice an essential life skill. So many women and children came that they needed two life guards to staff the night. Because of the women’s swimming program, a number of our children have been empowered and qualified as lifeguards and swim teachers, providing them with economic opportunities which are so important in our community that is impacted by 19% youth unemployment. 

 

The 2025 National drowning report Royal Life Saving Society states that “people who reside in low socio-economic locations are much more likely to drown than those living in more advantageous areas, one third of drownings were known to be migrants.” The ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas, shows that the Heidelberg West – Bellfield community is the most disadvantaged community in the City of Banyule and when compared with other communities, it is one of the most disadvantaged communities in Melbourne and Victoria.  We are worried for our children who no longer have an accessible pool to learn and practice swimming. 

 

We have never been consulted as participants of the women’s only swimming program on the future of the Olympic Leisure Centre redevelopment. Banyule council has not provided information of the pool closure in a language other than English, many women in our community only speak Somali or Arabic. We only found out about the vote to close the pool because a Councillor was visiting the facility and told a lifeguard who is a member of our community. Then two Muslim Sisters submitted questions at the July 14th council meeting to speak on our concerns and how we can continue to access aquatic facilities. We are new to participating in council meetings and did not know we could only speak at the end of the evening, we had not made arrangements for our children to be cared for that late and had to go home without getting an opportunity to participate in democracy. The Councillor’s or CEO did not make an exception to allow us to speak. Olympia Ward Councillor Mary O’Kane asked a Banyule resident with connections to our Muslim community to organise a meeting with us on her behalf. It was scheduled for after Friday prayers (18/07/2025) and Banyule Council CEO, Alison Beckwith, was invited. 50 women showed up to voice their distress at the loss of the women’s swimming program but the meeting was cancelled only hours before as the Imam had not been consulted on inviting a Councillor to the Mosque. The meeting was rescheduled to the following Friday (25/09/2025), however only 20 women were able to join the meeting.

 

The CEO did not arrange a translator and the difficulty in arranging a meeting only demonstrates the lack of engagement between the Banyule City Council and the Banyule Muslim community. It has now been two months since the closure vote and Banyule Council has still not found a suitable facility for Muslim women and children to swim. 

 

We call upon Banyule Council to empower the Muslim community of Banyule to learn to swim and participate in healthy lifestyle activities. Delay the closure of Olympic Leisure Aquatic Facilities and commit funding for its redevelopment with retention of aquatic facilities.