eFlash #626

Date: 10-Jun-2025

New / Hot Topics

Upcoming Webinars

Essentials Wellbeing Webinars

After last year’s powerful session on mental health in the water sector, we’re diving deeper in 2025 with two new Essentials Webinars focused on Self Leadership and Emotional Intelligence.

Led by leadership coach Belinda Chapman, these one-hour webinars will provide practical, evidence-based tools to build resilience and emotional clarity in your work and life. Tailored for water professionals, they’re designed to help you lead yourself—and others—through challenges with confidence and composure.

Thursday 19 June, 10–11am

Self-Awareness for Stress Management and Personal Resilience

Explore neuroscience-backed insights and reflection techniques to identify triggers, highlight strengths, and boost your personal resilience.

Thursday 18 September, 10–11am

Self-Regulation for Coping with Stress and Building Resilience

Learn how to respond (not react) to stress, using emotional regulation strategies to stay calm, focused, and effective.

Both sessions are interactive, insightful, and sector-specific.

More info and register here.

Missed the first one? Watch it here.

Essentials Webinar: Cyber Security for Water Businesses

Thursday 3 July, 10–11 am

Join us for an essential webinar on cyber-resilience in water networks, with a focus on Operational Technology (OT) including SCADA and control systems. Learn about:

OT cyber security fundamentals
Common threats and sector-specific risks
Impacts of the SOCI legislation
Practical insights from industry expert Sean Murdoch, Head of OT Risk at Secolve

This session is vital for all water businesses navigating evolving cyber threats and regulatory landscapes.

More information and register here.

Regional Trade Waste Interest Group Meeting

The second meeting of the Regional Trade Waste Interest Group (TWIG) meeting will be held at Yeppoon (Livingstone Shire Council) on Wednesday 9 July (9 am to 1 pm).

It will be a hybrid meeting with face-to-face and online access, but your attendance in person is much appreciated, where possible.

The agenda, which will be circulated soon, will including advances to the model Trade Waste Management Plan, an opening discussion on trade waste training, and short presentations by members on topics of interest. Please save the date and arrange to attend in July - we promise an interesting and informative meeting.

Changes to Environmental Protection Regulation 2019

On 6 June, amendments to the Environmental Protection Regulation 2019 were officially notified. Key changes include:

PFAS Thresholds Introduced: Waste with low levels of PFAS can now be classified as non-regulated, aligning with national guidance. This long-awaited change was strongly supported during consultation - thank you to SWEAP members who contributed to qldwater’s submission.
Clarifications:
- Solar panels are not regulated waste.
- Soil from land is not regulated waste under specific conditions.
Recycling Incentives: Construction and demolition waste achieving >80% recycling can now qualify for a waste levy discount.
Other Updates: Additional amendments relate to flora and fauna conservation.

The new PFAS thresholds are detailed in Schedule 9, Part 3, Division 2 (Table 2). These changes affect soil handling but not biosolids or PFAS-impacted groundwater.

View the full regulation

Consultation summary report (PDF)

ERA 53 PFAS Review: DETSI Holds Off on New Limits

The Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DETSI) has released a review of its technical report on PFAS limits in compost under ERA 53. While the review was limited to technical analysis and did not assess policy implications, it highlighted that the risk assessment methods used were highly conservative—potentially overstating actual risks to human health and the environment.

Importantly, DETSI has decided not to proceed with changes to environmental authorities to impose the previously derived PFAS limits. This effectively pauses the modernisation of EAs for composters under ERA 53—a welcome outcome for industry, reducing regulatory burden.

Instead, DETSI will collaborate with industry to manage PFAS risks through:

Development of guidance on meeting General Environmental Duty (GED) for PFAS in compost.
A co-designed monitoring project to better understand PFAS risks from various feedstocks.
Appointment of a waste industry liaison officer to support compliance and risk management.

Once this work is complete, DETSI plans to remove the current regulatory position statement and update model operating conditions.

However, the shift from specific EA conditions to GED-based compliance raises concerns, particularly in light of increased compliance activity and the integration of IChEMS obligations under GED.

For WSPs, it’s worth noting that the compost PFAS limits were based on End of Waste Code (EoWC) biosolids trigger values—but are more conservative due to the broader use of compost. The technical basis for these EoWC values remains unclear to the sector.

Scholarships Now Open – 2025–26 Water Leadership Program

The International WaterCentre’s award-winning Water Leadership Program is entering its 15th year of empowering emerging leaders across the Australian and New Zealand water sectors. A range of scholarships are now available for the 2025–26 round, including:

1 x Full Scholarship (open to all applicants)
2 x Partial Scholarships (female-only applicants)
2 x Partial Scholarships (open to all applicants)

The program supports gender equality and strongly encourages applications from aspiring First Peoples water leaders, whether working in community or institutional contexts. Scholarships are open to both full-time and part-time professionals.

Learn more and apply here.

New DETSI Newsletter

The Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation has launched a new newsletter. One of the new items takes Queenslanders behind the scenes of their regulation work in order to give Queenslanders a closer look at the State’s environmental regulator – highlighting how they make decisions and how their people protect communities and the environment from pollution.

The first story they have published explores the work of their investigations branch, and unpacks the Albert River sewage spill decision.

This is essential reading for all – we note that the Regulator is now readily using the full suite of enforcement tools available to it and our members are reporting an increase in compliance officer visits and enforcement actions.

Water Supply Regulation Update

Upcoming Workshops:

A Water Supply Regulation workshop is scheduled for 9 September 2025 in Brisbane, with another planned beforehand. Help shape future sessions by completing a short survey by 13 June.

End of Financial Year Reminders:

Annual registration updates due within 10 business days after 30 June.
KPI data for 2024–25 due via SWIM by 1 October 2025.
Drinking water service annual reports due 17 December 2025 (submissions open from 1 July).

NPR Reporting Expansion:

From 2024–25, service providers with fewer than 10,000 connections must report NPR indicators. Submit via SWIM by 1 October 2025.

Explorer Update:

The Queensland Urban Water Explorer now includes 2023–24 KPI data. Explore it at explorer.water.qld.gov.au.

Other Events

The Waste Management & Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR) is running its annual Queensland Women of WARR Leadership Breakfast on Thursday, 17 July at Customs House in Brisbane.

The events recognise women who are driving change in the waste and recovery industry, and in doing so, are breaking down the barriers and creating new career prospects for the generations to come.

At the breakfast guest speakers will share their personal leadership journeys and the experiences and challenges they have encountered along the way, including:

Christine Blanchard - Manager Environment and Resource Recovery, Gympie Regional Council
Sarah Collins - Resource Recovery Manager, REMONDIS Australia

Click herefor more information and to register.

Current Consultations

Have Your Say: Proposed Changes to SEQ Level of Service Objectives

The Queensland Government is currently consulting on proposed amendments to the Water Regulation 2016 that would update the level of service objectives for water security in South East Queensland. These changes aim to ensure long-term water security while balancing cost and reliability, including:

New benchmarks for daily water use (165 L/p/d residential, 260 L/p/d total urban use)
Annual publication of projected peak demands
Introduction of permanent waterwise measures outside of drought conditions

Consultation is open until 5pm, 13 June 2025.

To participate or learn more, visit https://www.getinvolved.qld.gov.au/gi/consultation/13600/view.html