August 9, 2026 — 5:00am
Legendary swimming coach Laurie Lawrence has called for more access to public pools across Brisbane’s suburbs, as an analysis shows there are far fewer council facilities on the northside per person compared to the south.
According to the latest official population data, there is a council pool for about every 64,000 people in the city’s northern suburbs, and one for every 53,000 people south of the river.
But with the closure of the council-run Centenary Pool later this month – coinciding with QUT’s closure of its independently run Kelvin Grove pool – this disparity will get even worse.
Lawrence, an Olympic swimming coach and former rugby union player, said too many public pools were being closed across the country.
