The big guns of the Australian swim team have made themselves unavailable for August's Pan Pacs in Victoria, Canada.

Ian Thorpe, Leisel Jones, Libby Lenton, Jodie Henry, Alice Mills and Michael Klim are all skipping the event after focusing their efforts this year on next month's Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

Head coach Alan Thompson said the weakened national team was a result of the bad timing of the quadrennial event.

He felt the bringing forward of the trials for next year's world championships in Melbourne from February to November had made many of the top swimmers decide to miss the Pan Pacs.

There has been speculation over the future of the Pan Pacs and Australia sending a below-par team doesn't bode well for the competition's image.

"Maybe we need to look at the Pan Pacs fitting into areas of need rather than on a regular basis," Thompson said.

"This year we don't need it and the Canadians don't need it, probably the Japanese and the Americans do so they will treat it differently to what we do, but in late 2007 would have been perfect for it."

World 100m butterfly champion Jess Schipper will spearhead the 40-strong team, that will include 26 members of next month's Commonwealth Games team, for the four-day meet at the Saanich Commonwealth Pool from August 17.

The team includes 50m breaststroke world record holder Jade Edmistone, Brooke Hanson and Matt Welsh.

Men: L Brodie (QLD) N Ffrost (QLD) C Flouch (QLD) T Grimsey (QLD) E Hannant (QLD) J Krogh (QLD) A Lauterstein (QLD) A Lucas (WA) K MacGillivary (QLD) A Mewing (QLD) K Monk (NSW) T Nederpelt (WA) A Pine (QLD) A Richards (NSW) B Rickard (VIC) E Rolff (NSW) C Smith (QLD) H Stoeckel (NSW) E Sullivan (WA) M Welsh (VIC).

Women: F Adcock (SA) B Barratt (QLD) L Carroll (WA) J Edmistone (QLD) M Engelsman (NSW) J Fargus (QLD) M Gorman (QLD) E Graham (NSW), B Hanson (VIC) S Katsoulis (VIC) L MacKenzie (QLD) K Palmer (QLD) S Paton (NSW) S Reese (VIC) J Reilly (WA) S Rice (QLD) J Schipper (QLD) M Schlanger (QLD) C South (SA) K Stubbins (VIC).

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