A one-year-old died the day after she was found floating face-down in a backyard pool last Sunday.

Another toddler drowned in Minchinbury this time last year.

The recently released 2009 National Drowning Report revealed 34 children aged 0-4 drowned last year, while 60 per cent of all drownings were in backyard pools.

Michael Morris and wife Jo-Ann almost lost son Samuel at their Cranebrook home in 2006.

Samuel, now 6, sustained severe disabilities in the near-drowning.

His parents set up the Samuel Morris Foundation in 2007 to raise awareness about drowning prevention and support the needs of children with hypoxic brain injuries from near-drownings.

Under a recent revamp of State Government laws, all backyard pools must have a four-sided child-proof barrier, regardless of the size or the location of the property. Fines for non-compliance have also been increased.

But Mr Morris said the Government could take a tougher stance by making councils conduct annual inspections of all backyard pools.

Pool safety compliance rates doubled while drowning rates halved when Western Australia implemented the laws.

``I would like councils to have a register of all backyard pools in their LGA and for every home with a pool to undergo compliance inspections when it changes owners or tenants,'' he said.

Mr Morris hopes that last week's tragedy was a timely reminder for parents to watch their children at all times, learn CPR and enrol children in swimming lessons.

Details: www.homepoolsafety.com.au.