Home

We need your support

The City of Yarra has a proposed permit system for personal trainers that will effectively stop group exercise classes of more than 2 people.

With Australia now having the highest over weight/obesity levels in the world at 53% and Diabetes is currently at 6% of the Australian population we need to act. What the City of Yarra is proposing will establish a precedent for councils currently under taking trials or proposing to introduce a permit system to parks and gardens.

What is proposed

• No group exercise classes conducted at Edinburgh Gardens & 17 other designated parks with greater than 6 people
• Parks that are allowed to conduct group exercise classes of 6 - 15 people will only per permitted to conduct one session per week
• A fee of $1000 every 6 months to conduct one session per week at permtted parks

The City of Yarra fact sheet for personal training policy and Permit system
The City of Yarra draft for personal training policy and Permit system
 

What does this mean for people undertaking group fitness training in the park:

• No classes conducted at Edinburgh Gardens or any other 17 parks nominated
• Relocation to one of four parks deemed appropriate for group training or alternativley moving to parks at the City of
   Darebin
• Only one class per week which is not sufficient to maintain an active & healthy lifestyle
• Increased session fees to offset the permit fees, based on the proposal of $40 charged per session at one session per
   week

What we recommend

Fitness trainers  have always supported having a regulated system for park usage that respected public users while providing a fair and equitable fee and permit structure to regulate commercial activity.

I recommend that a six month trial period similar to the one that is currently being conducted by the City of Port Phillip, be undertaken.

This will give operators conducting commercial training activities such as myself, adequate time to register and accurately demonstrate the impact of classes based on actual commercial activities at each park.

During this period a fair and equitable fee infrastructure and permit system review could be undertaken in consultation with other councils currently introducing or managing a permit system.

Introducing a restrictive system will only force operators to avoid checks while favouring businesses that are prepared to operate in an underhanded manor.
People should have the choice to participate in group fitness in their parks.

What you can do

Please take the time to make one of the following actions and send a message to the City of Yarra that their proposed permit policy in it's current form is not supported by not only rate payers of the City of Yarra but anyone who enjoys the freedom of group fitness in the fresh air and beautiful parks and gardens in Victoria. 

1.Send your Message to the Mayor of the City of Yarra & 8 other Councillors: MortonJ@yarracity.vic.gov.au
Your email will be "cc" to Cr Geoff Barbour, Cr Jenny Farrar, Cr Stephen Jolly, Cr Kay Meadow, Cr Gurm Sekhon, Cr Paul D'Agostino, Cr Jackie Fristacky, Cr Kathleen Maltzahn.

2. Filling out our online form

3.Attend the next City of Yarra Community Consultation meeting at 6pm on Wednesday, 10th of December 2008 at the
Richmond Town Hall in Meeting room 1 and 2.
This will be your last opportunity to express your opinions about this proposal and what you believe is a fair permit system for all park users, local residents and fitness trainers.

4.Emailing your written submission to:

Caitlin Ryan,
Sports Development Officer
caitlin.ryan@yarracity.vic.gov.au

Submissions must be received by Friday 28th November 2008

5.Sending your own written submission to: PO Box 168, Richmond, VIC 3121

For further information, please contact Caitlin Ryan on 9205 5555

3.Write a letter to the editor: letters@theage.com.au, please note terms  of letters to the editor


UPDATE

The meeting at the Richmond Town Hall on the 21st October was attended by
all 9 Councillors, including The Mayor, Councillor Judy Morton, the
executive officers and the Directors.

The Mayor stated that she wanted it to be a consultative process. That it is
a space issue, that they (Council) support fitness and health but need to
work out a policy that works for both the park/council and the trainers.
Nothing is in concrete and they will have a forum whereby the trainers can
have their say.

With regards to questions directed at what reports or studies the proposed
personal training permit system was based on, I was directed to Greg Anders,
the Director of Infrastructure Services Division who stated that he will
email the report.