Return to Play

This evening, the Queensland Government released a Queensland Return to Play webpage (www.covid19.qld.gov.au/returntoplay), with a series of sub-pages, and valuable resources, including “Return to Play – Guide for Queensland sport, recreation and fitness industries”.

Check out the Return to Play Readiness checklist to check whether your organisation’s activities can restart.

Some key points from the Guide:

Purpose of this Guide – This information is a regularly updated guide for returning to play for fitness, sport and active recreation peak bodies, individuals, organisations and clubs impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions across Queensland. It sets out key considerations that should be taken into account when restrictions start to lift, including a Return to Play Readiness Checklist to assist in this process.

The Guide reiterates the National principles for the resumption of sport and recreation activities, taken from the AIS Framework for Rebooting Sport in a COVID-19 Environment”, and references the OCA Framework for Rebooting Outdoor Activities in a CIVID-19 Environment” and Fitness Australia’s “Re-opening Considerations of Fitness Facilities in Australia”

The Guide specifically states that “Before re-opening, organisations and businesses delivering sport, recreation and fitness activities must consider how to meet physical distancing and hygiene obligations at the relevant stages.”

QORF recommends that all Queensland outdoor organisations, commercial and non-profit, should become familiar with the resources, and follow the guidance contained within. A key task is completing an updated Safety Management Plan for your operations, documenting and displaying relevant parts of that plan. Information on WHS planning for the outdoor sector is available on the QORF website here.

Outdoor operators are well aware that the best safety management system is useless if it isn’t clearly communicated to and followed by all workers – paid and unpaid. All workers involved in your operations need to be trained on changes to the safety management system and in any additional identified risks and control measures. If you are introducing additional controls, training is required. For example, for any extra personal protective equipment that is required for your activity, workers need to know where it will be kept and how to use it. Consider how you will document all training.

The Queensland Government web resources provide more information in a readily accessible manner. QORF salutes the large amount of work that has been done with the outdoor sector by the Queensland Government, particularly Sport and Recreation within the Department of Housing and Public Works, in a very tight timeframe, since the announcement on Friday 8^th May 2020 of the “Roadmap to easing Queensland’s restrictions”.

QORF will continue to work with the Queensland Government to clarify the return to play for outdoor operators across the State. If you have questions or comments, please contact us.

Discretion is the better part of valour

QORF urges all outdoor organisations to take time to consider when your organisation will genuinely be in a position to “Return to Play”. This is not a decision that should be rushed into – just because some restrictions lift as of Saturday 16^th May, that does not mean that all eligible organisations will be ready to do so. If you are not ready, and have further queries that we could help with, please contact us.