eFlash #621

eFlash #621 New

Date: 19-Mar-2025

In this edition: Trade Waste Uplift Project and Interest Group | Last chance registrations for upcoming events | Essentials Webinar: Arc Flash Risk | Essentials Webinar: High Pressure Water Jetting Exemption | NPR report released | PFAS NEMP 3.0 officially released | Plant Operator - Wastewater Treatment in Cairns | Nature Conservation and other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025

NEW / HOT TOPICS

Trade Waste Uplift Project and Interest Group

Please be advised that the establishment meeting for the Trade Waste Uplift Project and Regional Trade Waste Interest Group, originally scheduled for 20-21 March (at Livingstone) has been rescheduled to Friday 11 April and will be held at Bundaberg. This delay was necessary to avoid starting before the project’s funding process has been completed. Please save the new date.

Details of the venue and session times will be sent to all who expressed interest in the original meeting. Microsoft Teams participation will be accommodated.

If you wish to be included, and haven’t previously expressed interest, please do so by email to chester@qldwater.com.au.

Upcoming Events

Next week is going to be a big week for the qldwater team and we hope to connect with many of our members at the following events:

26 March – QUT WISE Lab Tour

Join us from 4.30 to 6.30 pm at QUT Gardens Point for a drinks reception and tour of the new laboratory facilities.

27 March - Water Skills Forum

The forum will take place from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm at Parliament House Brisbane. We have a great line up speakers so register now to avoid FOMO!

More info and register here.

27 March – Health Based Targets Information Session

After the Water Skills Forum, head down the road to the KPMG office at 80 Ann Street to learn more about Health Based Targets and how they interact with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. The event will run from 5.30 to 8.00 pm.

More info and register here.

Essentials Webinar: Arc Flash Risk

The new date for the Essentials Webinar on Arc Flash Risk, presented by Unitywater electrical engineer Tim Stewart, has been set for Thursday, 10 April 2025.

Join us from 10.00 am to hear Tim share key learnings from Unitywater’s approach to assess and define arc flash risk, developing procedures to keep staff safe and tailoring training for different roles across the organisation.

Those who have registered before don’t need to do so again – an update was sent via the Trybooking registration portal. (Please check your spam folder if you didn’t receive it.)

Can’t make the new time? Don’t worry, a recording of the webinar will be available on the qldwater website after the event.

Essentials Webinar: HPWJ Exemption

After years of dedicated advocacy and extensive research, qldwater is pleased to announce a significant achievement for the water industry in Queensland. The Office of Industrial Relations (Queensland’s safety regulator) has granted an exemption for Queensland Water Service Providers regarding the use of High-Pressure Water Jetting (HPWJ) for sewer cleaning.

To ensure compliance with this exemption, water service providers must implement and adopt a Safe Work Method in line with the regulator's approval. This webinar will explore the research that supported the exemption and outline the safety requirements moving forward.

More information and register here.

REMINDERS / OTHER NEWS

NPR report released

The National Performance Report (NPR) 2023-24: Urban water utilities has been published on the Bureau of Meteorology’s website.

This report provides a comprehensive assessment, comparison and benchmarking of the performance of large (>10,000 connection) water and wastewater service provider’s management and service provision to communities across Australia.

PFAS NEMP 3.0 officially released

The PFAS National Environmental Management Plan (NEMP) 3.0 has been published. It can be accessed via the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s website.

Version 3.0 of the PFAS NEMP replaces all previous versions and should be used to inform all PFAS guidance going forward. Please update any relevant content to reflect version 3.0 of the PFAS NEMP and its supporting documents.

Several companion documents have also been published and can be accessed using the link above, including:

5 supporting documents explaining key technical justifications for the guidance given in the PFAS NEMP 3.0.
2 ancillary documents giving a summary of changes made between the PFAS NEMP 2.0 and PFAS NEMP 3.0, and responses to the feedback received during the public and industry consultation process.

Plant Operator – Wastewater Treatment

Cairns Regional Council is seeking a Plant Operator – Wastewater Treatment to help keep its vital treatment plants running smoothly. Whether you’re a qualified Water Treatment Operator or looking to work towards becoming one, this is your chance to play a key role in wastewater management while enjoying an unbeatable tropical lifestyle.

This hands-on role involves:

Optimising plant performance through trend analysis and fault finding
Supporting treatment plant staff and assisting with sampling and data entry
Maintaining records, submitting maintenance requests, and incident reporting
Providing exceptional customer service to support the local community

Applications close on Sunday, 6 April 2025 at 11:30pm AEST.

To apply, visit Employment at Councilor contact the recruitment team at (07) 4044 3310 / jobs@cairns.qld.gov.au.

CURRENT CONSULTATIONS

Nature Conservation and other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025

Last week, the Nature Conservation and other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 was introduced into the Queensland Parliament.

The Bill proposes a minor amendment to the Environmental Protection Act 1994 to clarify that a penalty infringement notice can be used as an alternative to a court proceeding where there has been a failure to comply with a compliance and enforcement order/notice issued before the commencement of the Environmental Protection (Powers and Penalties) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024.

These clarifying amendments provide certainty around enforcement powers and options for all state and local government agencies that regulate environmentally relevant activities and help prevent matters from escalating to court unnecessarily.

Anyone who has already been issued with a compliance or enforcement order or notice must comply with it.

In addition, the Bill amendments aim to modernise the Environmental Protection Act 1994 by including a specific provision that authorises the use of an automated system to issue environmental authorities for standard applications (excluding applications for mining activities related to a mining lease).

This automated system has been used by the department since 2017. The Bill amendments are administrative in nature and in no way change the types of activities that can be authorised via a standard application or the way in which these authorities are issued.

Existing EA permit holders are in no way affected by these changes. These administrative updates are designed to ensure continuity and certainty for the operators and businesses that depend on receiving timely approval of these types of EAs. All EAs remain valid and there are no changes to the application process or decision-making criteria.

Call for submissions

The committee invites submissions addressing any aspect of the Bill from all interested parties. Guidelines for making a submission to a parliamentary committee are available here. Please ensure your submission meets these requirements.

The closing date for written submissions is 10am, Tuesday 8 April 2025.

Click here to make a submission.