CARAVAN park owners in Queensland face the toughest swimming pool safety laws yet under new plans announced by the State Government.

It says new mandatory pool safety certificates and inspections will help save lives and make the state's pools the safest in the country.

Caravan parks sold without a certificate will have to provide buyers with a prescribed notice advising that the pool may be non-compliant.

New owners must then ensure their pools meet the requirements within 90 days of settlement or face a fines of up to $1650.

The Pool Safety Council (PSC) must also be advised that the property transaction was settled without a certificate in place.

The new laws will replace the current assortment of 11 pool safety standards with a single, uniform approach and are designed to drastically reduce the risk of young children entering pools alone.

In addition to caravan parks, they will also apply to indoor pools and swimming pools associated with hotels, motels, caretaker dwellings, and other residential buildings.

Children's portable paddling pools and spas over 300mm deep will not be immune from the rules. They will have to be fenced, bringing the state legislation into line with nationwide standards.

The new laws follow a request by the State Government for an expert committee, including Kidsafe, the Royal Lifesaving Society, Queensland Injury Surveillance Unit and the Local Government Association of Queensland, to conduct the largest review of pool laws in almost 20 years.

Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Stirling Hinchliffe said: "To ensure pool owners have time to adjust, the Bill allows for a five-year phase-in period for people to upgrade their pool fences – unless they sell or lease the property first."

There will be wider powers of entry for local government for safety inspections of outdoor pools and mandatory inspection of pools by local government following "immersion incidents".

"To make sure pool owners, the real estate and legal sectors are aware of the new obligations, the Department of Infrastructure and Planning is developing a targeted education and awareness campaign, which will be rolled out in the coming months," Mr Hinchliffe said.

"These new regulations will save lives and they will make our pools the safest in Australia."

The new regulations will be reviewed within seven years.

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