QLDWATER
QLDWATER REPORT Dave Cameron CEO, qldwater
Another eventful start to a year but hopefully we are over the main hump. Many qldwater staff were directly impacted by COVID but many more members have been dealing with significant seasonal events. The disruption is unlikely to make a significant difference to how we approach events and other key activities in 2022. At the time of writing we were expecting a decline in physical attendance for our Skills Forum in early March but had adapted the program to hopefully make for an engaging hybrid experience. The most significant announcement for us in recent months has been the Queensland Government’s decision to extend the Queensland Water Regional Alliance Program funding permanently. The original QG investment towards the program goes back to 2011, and the duration (and quantum) of each grant has been increasing since then. Now a mature partnership among Queensland councils, the Queensland Government, the LGAQ and qldwater - the funding certainty significantly helps maintain continuity for planning and in retention of key people. It’s too early to know exactly what this means for our little group, however, the extra funding will support new collaborative activities for nine regions – almost all of Queensland except for the southeast and some First Nations councils in the Cape. Most of these Cape councils are
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the subject of visits planned for our Water Connections Week in May, in between Ozwater (in Brisbane this year) and our Port Douglas conference. COVID willing, we will be using Cairns as a base and along with various Queensland Government representatives, will be meeting with around 9 councils to discuss their service delivery challenges and look for opportunities for the broader qldwater network to provide support and expertise. We unfortunately had to cancel tours in 2020 and 2021, meaning a hiatus for what has historically been a major part of our regional outreach program. Securing a Principal Sponsor for qldwater in Grenhof along with some other savings has made a charter feasible for the first time in quite a while. Much of our advocacy work has been delayed as agencies struggle with their own responses to COVID and seasonal challenges. Importantly, water sector staff have been recognised now as critically essential workers meaning that once Rapid Antigen Tests are more readily available, there is a process for close contacts to be able to attend to essential roles including treatment plants as Omicron continues to spread. In general, the industry continues to impress with its approach to information sharing and mutual support. A few upcoming highlights from our programs: • Lots happening in the environmental space including proposed changes to the Environmental Protection Act and End of Waste Codes, as well as a lot of work around contaminants including the release in the coming
months of a public-facing campaign to attempt to build awareness around everyday products and practices which contribute to sewerage service providers’ capacity to deal with contaminants including PFAS and microplastics. A national workshop is planned in April, and we have entered into a number of national partnerships and sponsored small research investments through the qldwater Consortium for Research and Advocacy on Contaminants. •A coordinated review of the Drinking Water Quality Management Plan Guideline with the Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water participating in a final review workshop with industry in March. •S everal activities with the Water Services Association of Australia and other water directorates, including sectorwide approaches to address new Critical Infrastructure legislation and Workplace Exposure Standards (particularly for hydrogen sulphide and chlorine). •C ontinued advocacy to attempt to finalise an exemption to allow high pressure water jetting activities on AC pipes. •A n audience to progress a proposed restricted drainer’s licence along with an agreement to review MP1.4 of the Queensland Development Code (building over/ near infrastructure). •M ajor SWIM enhancements including strong uptake of the new WebReports module.
ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2022
