eFlash #636 New
Date: 07-Oct-2025
In this edition: Nominate Your Outstanding Operators - WIOA QLD Awards Now Open! | qldwater End of Year Drinks | SWIM 2024-25 Reporting Complete | Heads Up: Possible Increase in Union Activity | Safety Share: Maintenance Cover Incident | AWA QLD Water Awards | National Water Week | EOI: Sustainable Pumping for Water and Wastewater Course | WIOA Royce Water FNQ Interest Day | WRIQ Member Breakfast: Putting Out Fires
New / Hot Topics
Nominate Your Outstanding Operators – WIOA QLD Awards Now Open!
Time is running out to nominate a team member who goes above and beyond. Someone who embodies excellence, innovation, and community spirit.
Nominations are now open for the Young Operator of the Year and Operator of the Year (Civil/Allrounder) Awards, proudly sponsored by qldwater and presented at the WIOA QLD Conference in Bundaberg on 29 October.
These awards celebrate the unsung heroes of the water sector. Those who inspire, lead, and make a difference every day. Last year’s Young Operator of the Year, Luke Reid, said winning the award has expanded his horizons to avenues he hadn’t thought possible. This is your chance to make a difference and to recognise their contributions.
Nominations close Friday, 17 October.
Submissions are made online from the links below:
Operator of the Year (Civil/Allrounder)
qldwater End of Year Drinks
Join qldwater in celebrating another busy year in Queensland's urban water sector and network with professionals from Water Service Providers, sector suppliers, and government stakeholders.
SWIM 2024-25 Annual Reporting Complete
Big cheers to all of our 75 members who got their 2024/25 water and sewerage data in on time via SWIM! Huge thanks to everyone who put in the hard yards to get it done. Data quality keeps getting better too, with only a few tiny errors picked up in our checks.
We’ve also submitted all BoM, ABS and NPR data early (again!), giving them a head start before their October 31 deadline.
We’ll kick off work on the qldwater Benchmarking Report soon, with final data wrapping up in November.
Got ideas or feedback on SWIM or the report? Reach out to David (dscheltinga@qldwater.com.au), Jess (jdean@qldwater.com.au), or give us a call.
Heads Up: Possible Increase in Union Activity
You may notice an increase in union activity in your regions over the coming months. This is because some councils are within a year of negotiating their next Certified Agreement. It’s normal for activity to pick up as the deadline approaches.
If you have any questions or concerns, the LGAQ Industrial Relations Help Desk is available to provide advice and support. Contact 1300 542 700 or email irhelpdesk@lgaq.asn.au .
Safety share: maintenance cover incident
One of qldwater’s members experienced the failure of a maintenance hole cover in a pavement last weekend. The failure resulted in a member of the public falling into the septic system. We understand that the failure was caused by concrete corrosion exacerbated by recent sewer relining works.
While this is a known risk, we would encourage all members to take this as a reminder to check the integrity of their maintenance access covers, particularly in areas where recent sewer relining has occurred.
OTHER NEWS
AWA QLD Water Awards
Congratulations to all qldwater members who shined at the AWA Gala Awards Dinner last night. Our Strategic Priorities Group Chair, Trevor Dean from Fraser Coast Regional Council, was awarded the Regional Service Award for his work with the LGAQ Water and Wastewater Advisory Group. Trev is also Chair of the Queensland Water Industry Reference Group (QWIRG) and a key member of the Wide Bay Burnett Urban Water Alliance (WBBUWA) QWRAP group.
Julian Tickle and the team at Burdekin Shire Council’s Macro-Algal Bioremediation Facility received the Infrastructure Project Innovation Award, and Unitywater’s Wamuran Irrigation Scheme took out the Infrastructure Project Innovation Award (Metro). Well done to all involved in these projects!
National Water Week
National Water Week is on from 20 to 26 October, inspiring communities and organisations to work together on water issues and future fixes. It’s a great reminder that water must be used wisely and celebrates water innovation and achievements supporting Australia's sustainable future.
The theme for 2025 is Bring Water into Focus – a call to action that encourages people to see water not just as a resource, but as the invisible thread connecting everything in our lives. It’s a simple phrase with big potential to spark conversations, drive behaviour change, and highlight the value of water across homes, schools, business and community.
If you would like to get involved, get some inspiration from the great events like the Water Heroes Library Display Competition and Water Night or download the resources here.
Sustainable Pumping for Water and Wastewater Course
Townsville City Council has approached Rob Welke from the Water Pumping Institute to deliver one more Sustainable Pumping course before Rob retires.
To get the required numbers to be able to deliver the training Rob has opened EOIs for two courses in the North Queensland region:
- Cairns: Thurs/Fri 6 - 7 November at Novotel Oasis Resort
- Townsville: Tues/Wed 11 - 12 November at Hotel Grand Chancellor
The cost is $1350 + GST (less 10% discount for qldwater members)
Please reach out to Rob by Friday if you are interested in the Cairns or Townsville course to enable them to finalise arrangements.
WIOA Royce Water FNQ Interest Day
WIOA is hosting a Far North Queensland Interest Day with barefoot bowls at the West Cairns Bowls Club on 14 November.
WRIQ Member Breakfast
The Waste Recycling Industry Qld (WRIQ) is hosting a business breakfast seminar to share practical insights into managing legal, safety and environmental obligations in the waste and recycling industry. The event, titled “Putting Out Fires” will take place at Corrs Chambers Westgarth, Eagle Street, Brisbane from 8.00 to 10.00am on Thursday, 23 October 2025.
CURRENT VACANCIES
Fraser Coast Regional Council is looking for an experienced Electrical / Instrument Technician to join their dedicated team. You will be responsible for providing electrical and instrumentation maintenance services to water and wastewater treatment plants, pump stations and associated infrastructure. As an Electrical / Instrument Technician, you will be a key member of the Electrical Maintenance team, supporting the Principal Electrician and other team members, to ensure electrical safety, asset reliability and operating capacity.
Applications close Monday 13 October 2025.
For more information, please contact the recruitment team at email recruitment@frasercoast.qld.gov.au. To apply please visit Current Vacancies – Fraser Coast Regional Council