eFlash #612

Date: 06-Nov-2024

Government changes

Following the change of government in the Queensland elections, the new Premier David Crisafulli announced the following departmental changes relating to the urban water sector:

The Manufacturing and Regional Development elements of the Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water has been moved to Natural Resources while Water and Local Government have made a strong partnership in the new Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers (DLGWV). Bringing together the Water and Local Government portfolios will assist us to advance the discussions with Queensland Government about appropriate funding arrangements to deal with the risks to the sector, and we are pleased that Linda Dobe will remain in the role of Director-General. The new Minister is Ann Leahy MP.
The Department of Environment, Science and Innovation gained Tourism and will now be the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI). The new Minister is Andrew Powell MP with Ben Klaassen as Acting Director-General.
Our skills and training initiatives will no longer be under the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training, but will now be overseen by the Department of Finance, Trade, Employment and Training (DFTET) led by Minister Rosslyn Bates MP and Peter McKay as Director-General.
The Department of Health and Ambulance Services will be led by Minister Timothy Nicholls MP and Director-General Dr David Rosengren.

Good luck with all the new acronyms!

qldwater is hiring!

Since taking on the role of Industry Skills Advisor (ISA) for the Queensland Government in 2020, the qldwater Water Skills Partnership (WSP) Manager fulfilled the duties of both roles. Given the importance of the ISA roles, the Department have made some changes across all ISAs with a requirement for each ISA to be at least 1 FTE. So we are recruiting a new WSP Manager in anticipation of a successful application to continue in the new ISJA role.

If successful in that application, we'll be able to provide even more focus to members in each area, maintaining the important advocacy work on behalf of this most essential of sectors.

The job is advertised on the Ethical Jobs platform. Please share it with any of your contacts who may be interested in working with our small but dynamic team.

qldwater Emerging Contaminants workshop reminder

The qldwater Emerging Contaminants Workshop will take place on 21-22 November at James Cook University, Townsville. Registrations close on 13 November.

For more information and to register, click here.

Latest submission

qldwater's submission to the Productivity Commission on the opportunities in the Circular Economy raises concern that we are heading for a perfect storm where biosolids production is increasing (due to growing populations) while the opportunities for their (beneficial) use in the circular economy is diminished due to emerging contaminants and increasing regulations, and there are no opportunities for disposal. To manage the emerging risks, the Australian Government in association with the Queensland Government must consider immediate funding for local councils delivering urban water services. New infrastructure will take time to design and build, while new regulations and public concerns are progressing quickly.

Download our submission here (members only).

REMINDERS / OTHER NEWS

First public hearing on Senate (Federal) PFAS Inquiry

For those following PFAS, the program is now out for the first public hearing on Wednesday 13 November, 1-5pm AEDT. While it is not water focused specifically (rather Govt, Defense, and PFAS / human health experts e.g. Professor Denis O'Carroll, Dr Marian Lloyd-Smith, Professor Martyn Kirk), no doubt water will come up during the proceedings.

The hearing will be streamed live on the APH website and on YouTube.

BuildSkills Australia webinar

BuildSkills Australia’s VET Future Readiness Review is evaluating the extent to which the training system is delivering the skills needed for the future of the construction, property and water industries. The aim is to identify what needs to change to ensure the training system keeps up with rapidly evolving jobs and skills requirements.

If you missed any of the in-person workshops or would like to continue the conversation, BSA will be hosting an online webinar on Tuesday 19 November, from 1:30pm-2:30pm.

This webinar will be an opportunity to hear about their findings to date and contribute your own insights into the future of skills and training.

Further information about this project can be found here.

Water Supply Regulation e-Alert

The latest Water Supply Regulation (WSR) e-Alert focused on summer preparedness and responsibilities during a disaster. Under the Queensland State Disaster Management Plan, the water department is required to report directly to the State Disaster Coordination Centre to provide timely and accurate information on the impacts and issues affecting the continuity and safety of drinking water supplies.

During these events, it is important that impacted service providers continue to communicate with the WSR as much as possible. You must immediately report any incidents or events that occur in your drinking water service or your recycled water scheme (where relevant). Reportable incidents and events must initially be notified by telephone on 1300 596 709 which is monitored 24/7. The completed and signed approved notification form must then be sent to the WSR by email to: drinkingwater.reporting@rdmw.qld.gov.au within 24 hours.

Please ensure that all the relevant staff in your organisation are signed up to receive the WSR e-Alerts via the email address above.

CURRENT CONSULTATIONS

Safe Work Australia consultation on the impact of proposed workplace exposure limits for H2S and Cl

As has been anticipated for some time, Safe Work Australia has opened a consultation on the impacts of proposed workplace exposure limits for 9 chemicals. The data collected during the consultation will feed into an impact analysis.

The 9 chemicals under consideration are:

1. benzene

2. chlorine

3. copper (fumes, dust and mists)

4. formaldehyde

5. hydrogen cyanide

6. hydrogen sulphide

7. nitrogen dioxide

8. respirable crystalline silica

9. titanium dioxide.

qldwater is working with WSAA on a submission on behalf of the sector, on the impacts of the proposed limits for hydrogen sulphide and chlorine but we would encourage individual submissions from water utilities.

Submissions can be made online through Safe Work Australia's Consultation Hub until 11.59 pm (AEDT) on Sunday, 8 December 2024.