eFlash #634

eFlash #634 New

Date: 11-Sep-2025

New / Hot Topics

Nominate Now for Operator Awards

qldwater is proud to sponsor the Young Operator of the Year and Operator of the Year (Civil/Allrounder) Awards at the WIOA QLD Conference each year. This year, the award ceremony will take place on 29 October in Bundaberg.

Nominations are now open, and managers are encouraged to nominate their outstanding operators—those who inspire, lead, and make a difference every day. Let’s continue to shine a light on the unsung heroes of our water networks.

Last year’s winner, Ross Watt, said it felt great to be valued and appreciated and that nominating someone for this award shows faith in your employees and also helps to get recognition for your local team.

Do you have a team member who goes above and beyond? Someone who embodies excellence, innovation, and community spirit? Now is the time to recognise their contributions.

Nominations close on Friday, 17 October. The online forms are available here:

Young Operator of the Year

Operator of the Year (Civil / Allrounder)

SWIM Reporting Time

It’s Annual Reporting crunch time with all SWIM Annual Water and Sewerage Reporting due on Wednesday 1 Oct.

Congratulations to Mareeba Shire Council for being the first to publish their SWIM data for 2025! Well done to Morris, Bianca, Emma, Aditya and the team.

Please contact Davis Scheltinga or Jess Dean if you have any questions or need help.

Essentials Webinar: Self-Regulation for Stress and Building Resilience

Join us on Thursday, 18 September from 10 – 11am for our next Essentials Webinar where Leadership Coach, Trainer and Facilitator Belinda Chapman will explain how self-regulation empowers you to respond—not react—to workplace stress.

In this engaging 60-minute webinar, we’ll explore evidence-based strategies to process emotions effectively and build lasting resilience. Designed for water professionals and leaders, this session offers actionable tools to help you stay composed and focused, even under pressure.

End of Year Function

We invite our members and partners to join us for an evening of connection and celebration at our annual End of Year Drinks. The event will take place at Parliament House, Brisbane from 5.30 to 7.30pm on Wednesday, 19 November. The event aims to bring together key decision makers from the Queensland Government and senior leaders from qldwater member organisations to ensure the water sector is front of mind when decisions are made.

We have an exclusive sponsorship opportunity available for this event – please contact Georgina gdavis@qldwater.com.au for more information.

Water Supply Regulation Update

The qldwater team joined the WSP’s from around the state on Tuesday for the Brisbane Water Supply Regulation (WSR) workshop.

Delivered by the WSR team, attendees heard from the drinking water regulator, Queensland Health, representatives from Logan Water, Urban Utilities and Bulloo Shire Council on topics from PFAS, water sector mutual aid agreements, how the Department prepares for and responds to natural disasters and planning and reporting.

qldwater’s David Sheltinga provided an overview of SWIM and SWIMlocal, and Georgina Davis joined Richard Kidston, Jarrod Cowley-Grimmond and Greg Jackson as part of a panel answering questions ranging from sector capacity building to balancing regulation with compassion, and how to grow our own workforce in regional communities through early engagement with schools.

The next regional WSR workshop will be held in Longreach on 11 November 2025, with the date and venue to be confirmed. This face-to-face event will include departmental updates and information on changes that may affect drinking water services, including recent ADWG updates. Invitations with a draft agenda will be sent out shortly. Service providers from nearby areas who are interested in presenting are encouraged to contact their allocated officers, and suggestions for other topics you would like covered are also welcome. If you have any questions, please email drinkingwater.reporting@rdmw.qld.gov.au or contact your allocated contact officer.

IPWEA-QNT Board of Director Elections

As our members are aware, the Queensland Water Directorate (qldwater) is a business unit of the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia Queensland (IPWEA-QNT).

As per the IPWEA-QNT Constitution, elections are held every two years to elect the Board of Directors. A maximum of 10 Director positions are available as follows:

President
Vice President
up to 3 “At-Large Directors” (including an “Urban Water Sector Director”)
up to 5 Branch President positions currently represented by the following regional branches: South-East Queensland, South-West Queensland, Central Queensland, North Queensland, Northern Territory

IPWEA-QNT is currently calling for nominations for positions on the IPWEA-QNT Board. qldwater strongly encourages those IPWEA-QNT members working in our urban water sector to apply for the urban water sector director role or one of the other opportunities.

The IPWEA-QNT Director Nomination Form must be submitted before 5pm, Thursday 2 October 2025.

DETSI Update on NCOLA 2025: PINs for Direction Notices, EPOs and Clean-up Notices

The Department of Environment, Tourism, Science & Innovation (DETSI) have advised that the Environmental Protection (Powers and Penalties) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024 and amendment to the State Penalties Enforcement Regulation 2014 resulted in the inability to issue Penalty Infringement Notices (PINs) for breaches of Direction Notices, Environmental Protection Orders or Clean-up Notices between the period of 18 June 2024 and 03 September 2025.

Section 811 of the Environmental Protection Act 1994 – Proceedings for particular offences relating to particular instruments – has been amended via the Nature Conservation and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2025 (NCOLA 2025)to make clear that PINs issued for Direction Notices, Environmental Protection Orders or Clean-up Notices are taken to be, and to have always been, valid.

From 04 September 2025 PINs can be issued for breaches of Direction Notices, Environmental Protection Orders or Clean-up Notices. The provision applies retrospectively.

Other provisions introduced via NCOLA 2025

Replacement of sections 170, 177, 195 and 204 relating to applications and Progressive Rehabilitation and Closure Plans (PRCPs). To commence 28 days after assent.
Amendment of section 553 and insertion of section 555 relating to electronic systems for automatically issuing particular Environmental Authorities. To commence 28 days after assent.

If you have any questions, please contact compliance.support@detsi.qld.gov.au.

WaterAID Walk for Water

It’s that time of the year again where you get to walk, ride or run for water, so others don’t have to. The annual WaterAID Walk for Water runs from 6 to 10 October.