AusLeisure

Aiming to advance and elevate Australia’s fitness industry, peak body Fitness Australia has announced the formation of the Australian Fitness Industry Standards Council.

The newly-formed council will seek to develop, manage, promote and review a suite of standards, codes, guidance materials and other documents to assist the fitness industry to manage safety and improve service quality.

Comprised of 10 members, the council boasts a unique and diverse range of experts who will contribute to the future positive direction of the fitness industry.

Three of the council members represent academia, with experience in the fitness industry and in a relevant discipline (sports or exercise science, business, law), while another three are experienced industry practitioners. There is an additional three external members, including a representative of consumers, a representative of education providers, and a person with experience in accreditation systems.

The members of the Australian Fitness Industry Standards Council are:

• Professor Patrick Keyzer, law academic (Chairman)
• Professor Kevin Norton, exercise science academic
• Professor Elisabeth Wilson-Evered, business academic
• Max Martin, industry practitioner
• Michael Cunico, industry practitioner
• Gavin Aquilina, industry practitioner
• Maxine Cooper, consumer representative
• Dr Melissa Arkinstall, education representative
• Associate Professor Michael Greco, accreditation expert
• Craig Knox, Executive Officer and Secretary

The objectives of the Council are to:

• Develop, manage, promote and review a suite of standards, codes, guidance materials and other documents to assist the fitness industry to manage safety and improve service quality;
• Develop, manage, promote and review a suite of standards, codes, guidance materials and other documents to assist the fitness industry to support Fitness Australia’s registration and accreditation programs;
• Develop a risk management model and a program of total quality management for the Australian fitness industry that is based on data and other inputs that will help drive safety improvements by guiding prioritisation of standards development and regulatory activity;
• Provide independent technical advice to Fitness Australia staff, the Board and the public; and
• Undertake initiatives to support Fitness Australia’s role as the peak body in the self-regulatory model of fitness service provision in Australia.

Commenting on the launch of the Council, Fitness Australia Chief Executive Bill Moore (pictured) is excited by the opportunities to affect positive change and direction in the industry with the guidance of the newly-formed council.

Moore explained “this is an exciting time for our industry, and when you can attract the quality of members that we now have on The Council, it’s cause for even more excitement.

“This is an initiative designed not just to provide standards, as the name might suggest, it’s really a chance for some of the brightest minds in the industry and in a number of different specialist fields to get together, discuss, plan and project on where the industry is headed.

“We’re part of an ever-evolving industry and the formation of this council is a step towards reflecting that even further.”

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