Adventure Activity Standards

1. Adventure Activity Standards And their opportunities

2. What are AAS? • Adventure Activity Standards (AAS) are a set of voluntary guidelines that assist organisations, guides and leaders in the planning and provision of Adventure Activities for dependent participants. • They are primarily designed for those who lead groups of participants where an established and evident duty of care exists. • Developed through consultation with the Outdoor Recreation Industry they outline the minimum desirable standards of operation required to conduct safe activities.  • The outdoor committee of Recreation SA is providing a lead role in the development of the standards.

3. What are AAS? • If you provide adventure activities, or make provision for outdoor activities it is important that youprovide the best practice framework for safe and responsible planning and delivery of outdoor adventure activities with dependent participants. • The AAS provide this best practice framework

4. How do I use the AAS? Each guide is divided into sections • Planning • Risk management • Emergency management • Briefing information • Leader competence • Leader responsibility • Group size/ratios • Equipment • Environment

5. Are they legally binding? • The AAS are not be legally binding. Instead, they are intended to “provide the best practice framework for safe and responsible planning and delivery of outdoor adventure activities with dependent participants.” • Even though the AAS is not legally binding by law, compliance is often required by public and private land managers, regulatory agencies, insurers and others as a contractual or management condition. However, compliance with the AAS may assist in demonstrating that an operator has fulfilled their duty of care to activity participants. • The AAS is intended to be a flexible framework, which can guide decision-making across the great diversity of environments, activities and circumstances present in Australia.

6. South Australian AAS • Artificial Climbing and Abseiling Structures (2015) • Bushwalking (2015) • Canoeing and Kayaking (2015) • Horse Trail Riding (2015) • Mountain Biking (2015) • Recreational Angling (2015) • Recreational Caving (2015) • Rock Climbing & Abseiling on Natural Surfaces (2015) • Trail Bike Riding (2015) • Surfing Sessions (2006) • Angling (2006) • Caving (2006) • Challenge Ropes Courses (2006) • Snorkelling (2006) Can be found at www.recreationsa.org/outdoors

7. A new Australian AAS Historically each state has developed their own AAS but the framework and principles in each state are common. Funding has recently been secured to develop an Australian AAS that will provide savings for development, provide a portable standard and improve safety.

8. A new Australian AAS • Adventure Activity Standards (AAS) are industry best practice guidelines used to manage risk and safety across a wide range of outdoor adventure activities. They are designed to be used by skilled outdoor leaders who are responsible for participants in these activities. Currently, each state and territory maintains its own set of standards. However, this has resulted in unnecessary duplication, lack of coordination among jurisdictions, and less sharing of expertise and experiences about how to best manage safety and risk outdoors. • The industry and government bodies responsible for AAS development have therefore decided to develop a single set of Australian Adventure Activity Standards. • The Australian AAS will have many benefits over the existing system: • A single set of standards will ensure outdoor professionals are pooling their expertise and experiences at a national level, resulting in higher quality standards and less chance of confusion. • Consistency across Australia will improve professional mobility, and reduce compliance costs for operators working in multiple jurisdictions. • The cost of standards development will be reduced. • Outdoor activity leaders will be able to spend less time keeping tabs on multiple standards, and more time taking people into Australia’s great outdoors.

9. What will be covered? • Rock climbing • Snow Sports • Surfing • Trail Bike riding • Archery • Canyoning • Sea kayaking • Surf kayaking • Snorkelling • Wildlife swims • Scuba diving • Abseiling • Artificial climbing • Bushwalking • Canoeing & kayaking • Challenge ropes • Four-wheel driving • Horse trail riding • Mountain biking • Recreational angling • Caving • River rafting During the next three years, these activities will all be brought within the Australian AAS framework. Additional activities may be added as needed to reflect current practice.

10. NT Gov QORF OCA Outdoors WA ORIC NSW Recreation SA ACT Gov Outdoors VIC TAS Gov

11. A new Australian AAS • Technical working groups • Common content in completion • Activity Plan • Risk Management • Emergency Management • Participants • Environment • Currently working towards finishing; • Water and Food Safety, • Leadership, • Assistant Leadership Role.

12. A new Australian AAS • Calls for other technical working groups • Bushwalking • For more information and to receive newsletters www.australianaas.org.au

13. Opportunities • Ensure your leaders are safe and responsible • Ensure that leaders using your facilities / trails etc are safe and responsible • Become involved in a technical working group • Ensure the standards are communicated • Use the standards as a condition of use / entry