eFlash #599

Date: 10-Jun-2024

NEW / HOT TOPICS

EOI Open for Micro-Credentials 2024

Expressions of interest are now open for the Micro-Credential Courses 2024 to be delivered between July and September 2024. Follow the link to the webinar recording for each course topic for a one-hour introduction to the course.

10 - 11 July 2024 (Brisbane): Fluoridation of Water Supplies for Operators
6 August 2024 (Cairns): Operational Implications of the Drinking Water Quality Management Plan
7 August 2024 (Cairns): Making Use of Water Quality Data
28 August (cohort 1), 29 August (cohort 2) and 10 September 2024 (cohort 3) (Brisbane): Fluoridation of Water Supplies for Non-Operators
4 - 5 September 2024 (Brisbane): An Introduction to SCADA

Water Industry Worker Coordinator Lee-Anne Willis will coordinate the training. In the first instance we invite expressions of interest via this form.

Please provide details of your Supervisor or Manager to help us coordinate enrolments and invoices for the training at the appropriate time.

Any questions, please contact Neil Holmes.

qldwater Awards – Nominations now open!

qldwater is proud to sponsor the Young Operator of the Year and Operator of the Year (Civil) awards to recognise the outstanding operational performance of Queensland water industry employees.

We invite all managers to nominate operators that go above and beyond to supply water and sewerage services to Queensland communities 24/7, 365 days of the year.

The Young Operator of the Year will receive a perpetual trophy for his or her organisation to keep for 12 months, plus a personal trophy to keep permanently. The winner will also receive an all expenses paid opportunity to join the WIOA delegation on the tour of New Zealand.

The Operator of the Year (Civil) will receive a perpetual trophy for his or her organisation to keep for 12 months, a personal trophy to keep permanently and professional development opportunity to the value of $1,500.

The 2024 winners will be announced at the WIOA Queensland Water Industry Operations Conference & Exhibition to be held at the University of Sunshine Coast – USQ Stadium in Sippy Downs on 24 & 25 July 2024.

For more information and to download the nomination forms, click here.

OTHER NEWS

Drinking Water Regulation Workshop

The Water Supply Regulation team is conducting a Drinking Water Regulation workshop in Brisbane and via TEAMS on Wednesday 17 July.

The agenda includes presentations by Water Supply Regulation over a range of topics including drinking water incidents and actions, regulation requirements, KPI reporting, water treatment and the Australian Drinking Water Guideline. Queensland Health and service providers will also deliver presentations about relevant operational issues which includes cyber security.

National Water Week

It’s time to start planning your events and activities for National Water Week which runs from 21 – 27 October. The 2024 National Water Week theme is Accelerating Action. It serves as a powerful rally cry for our community to address water's vital role in the current climate crisis. Follow this link for resources including the annual poster competition for schools or sign up as a Water Ambassador.

Careers in Water

The AWA has now incorporated the H2Oz jobs board into the new Careers in Water website. For more information about hosting a job on the new platform, follow this link.

The website also includes excellent water education resources for primary, secondary and tertiary students, all aligned to the Australian curriculum.

Retail Prices for Regional Queensland

The Queensland Competition Authority has now released retail electricity prices for those on the Ergon Network (and dealing with Ergon Retail). They have reduced the notified prices for small customers to align with the final default market offer (DMO) set by the AER for south-east Queensland (SEQ). While bills will decrease for small businesses on Tariff 20, large customers on T44, 45 and 46 will see increases. Please see their report.

National Water Reform 2024

The final report on National Water Reform 2024 was sent to the Australian Government at the end of May. Under the Productivity Commission Act 1998, the Government is required to table the report in each House of the Parliament within 25 sitting days of receipt. View submissions including qldwater’s initial submission on the PC website.

CURRENT CONSULTATIONS

Remote Jobs and Economic Development Program Consultation

The National Indigenous Australian Agency (NIAA) Is seeking feedback on the design and delivery of a new Remote Jobs and Economic Development (RJED) program.

See the journey map for an illustration of how the program might work.

The map is also available from anEmployer perspective.

ANZ Draft Guideline for Zinc and Nitrate

New Draft Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (ANZG) for Zinc and Nitrate in freshwater are out for review. This adds to a list of other parameters that have public review closing soon.

Zinc in freshwater (submission closing date: 30 August 2024)

Nitrate in freshwater (submission closing date: 30 August 2024)

For more information, you can follow the link to the ANZG website.