eFlash #658

eFlash #658 New

Date: 02-Jun-2026

In this edition:

Final call: qldwater Operator Awards

Just a reminder that nominations for the qldwater Operator Awards are closing this Friday on 5 June, so time is running out to acknowledge your hard-working team members! The winners will be announced at the 2026 WIOA Queensland Conference on 25 June.

qldwater sponsors two awards:

Queensland New Operator of the Year Award

Recognising those with less than five years in the industry, this award highlights individuals showing strong commitment, enthusiasm and future potential.

Queensland Operator of the Year Award

Celebrating experienced operators who consistently demonstrate excellence, initiative and reliability in their work.

Recognition starts with a nomination, so please take the time to acknowledge the people making a real difference in your organisation and across the sector.

More info here.

Reflections on Ozwater’26

The qldwater team had a fantastic week at #Ozwater26 – connecting with members, partners and industry colleagues, and showcasing the range of work we deliver through our key programs. From regional alliances through QWRAP to water skills and workforce initiatives, data platforms like SWIM and swimlocal, environmental programs including QCRAC and SWEAP, and sector advocacy, there was plenty to share and discuss.

From the conversations at our booth to contributions across panels, workshops and presentations, it was great to see such strong engagement around the sector’s key challenges and opportunities.

Our CEO, Dr Georgina Davis, contributed to several thought provoking discussions – including a breakfast panel on Harnessing AI for rural, remote and regional utilities. The session explored how AI can support productivity and decision making in practical, low cost ways, while managing risks around security, privacy and reliability. It was encouraging to see the strong focus on collaboration and equitable access. QWRAP Program Director Neil Holmes also joined the discussion, sharing perspectives on AI use across the regional alliances.

Georgina also contributed to discussions on balancing growth with environmental sustainability, and the governance considerations shaping circular economy projects – both critical conversations as our industry navigates increasing demand and evolving regulation.

Louise Reeves contributed to the Biosolids Value Chain panel, helping to centre end users in conversations about sustainable solutions, and also presented her paper on PFAS source control – which was shortlisted for best paper.

David Scheltinga shared a powerful case study through his presentation on Swimlocal, highlighting how access to data can empower communities, with insights drawn from Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council.

We were also proud to see strong engagement with our Ready for Floods? A Game of Community Resilience, facilitated by Desiré Gralton. Delivered to both industry delegates and Year 11–12 students at the Fulton Hogan Education Hub, the interactive workshop role-played the response to six flood scenarios, building water literacy, critical thinking and cross-sector collaboration in line with the Ozwater theme Our Water. Our Tomorrow.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by, shared insights, and contributed to the conversations. Events like Ozwater continue to reinforce the value of collaboration across our sector as we work towards resilient, sustainable water futures.

Essentials Webinar: When a regulator visits

In our sector, the Drinking Water Regulator and the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation play an important role in ensuring that community safety and environmental expectations for water services are met. However, inspections and audits by the regulator can be a cause for concern.

Join us at 10am on Thursday, 11 June for an Essentials Webinar where Sarah Hausler and Caitlin Steuart from McCullough Robertson Lawyers will share their experience and expertise on how to confidently prepare for an inspection or audit, including:

How to prepare for the visit, including who should attend and respond to correspondence
What is the scope of the regulator’s powers
Your rights and obligations
What to say and what not to say in an inspection, audit or interview
Tips and tricks to navigate the process effectively

Attendance at this webinar will be limited to qldwater water service provider members only.

More info and register here.

Wastewater Quality and Trade Waste Workshop

Register now for the qldwater Wastewater Quality and Trade Waste workshop to be held on 22-23 July 2026 at the qldwater office in Eagle Farm, Brisbane.

The program will explore:

Why trade waste matters for known and emerging contaminants
Sector perspectives on trade waste challenges and opportunities
Best practice case studies from across Queensland

We are delighted to confirm that the Site tour on Wednesday 22 July will be to the Veolia City Links site on the Gold Coast, where thanks to Aerofloat, we will be able to visit an operational landfill leachate treatment facility incorporating PFAS treatment.

If you’re working in trade waste, wastewater quality or emerging contaminants — or want to better understand how they intersect, this is a valuable opportunity to connect and learn.

Some sponsorship opportunities are still available, offering a chance to showcase solutions that help utilities meet regulatory expectations and manage contaminants more effectively. Download the sponsorship prospectus for details and contact Louise to lock it in.

More info and register here.

SWIM/swimlocal Training

qldwater is hosting a free two-day SWIM/swimlocal training session at our Brisbane office on Monday 22 June (also available online) and Tuesday 23 June (in person only).

What to expect:

Monday: SWIM Annual Data Tool Webinar via TEAMS from 9:30-10:30 am including a SWIM refresher, swimlocal overview, Web Admin Tool, OpsTool and reporting. Jess and David will be around for the rest of the day for swimlocal discussions via TEAMS or in person.

Tuesday: Hands-on swimlocal training and system setup (9 am–3 pm). This session will help you to setup or modify your swimlocal system to get the most out of it, e.g., add alerts, automating SWIM annual reporting, importing lab data directly, SCADA data imports, calculations, adding new sites/indictors, setting up reports and dashboards, etc.

You can join for all or part of the sessions, either in person or online (Monday).

To attend, please contact Jess Dean or David Scheltinga.

OTHER NEWS

WIOA QLD Conference – Register Now!

Register now for the WIOA 2026 Queensland Water Industry Operations Conference & Exhibition, taking place 24- 25 June on the Gold Coast. This is an opportunity to connect with a community of water industry operations professionals from across Queensland for two days of shared learning, practical insights and connections.

The program brings together real experiences, technical presentations and innovative solutions with an exhibition featuring 120+ exhibitors. With live industry competitions, networking events, and opportunities to strengthen professional connections, this event is all about supporting and celebrating the people on the ground who keep our water systems running.

Please come and catch up with the qldwater team at Stand #65.

Secure your place today. (WIOA Members receive a 20% discount on delegate registration.)

Stormwater Queensland Webinar

Unlocking Stormwater: Opportunities and Challenges for Climate-Resilient Water Supply in Queensland

Stormwater Queensland is hosting a special 1 hour webinar today, celebrating the launch of the ARC National Training Centre for Climate-Resilient Water.

As climate pressures continue to grow, how do we create water systems that are more reliable, affordable, and lower in emissions?

Featuring Centre Director Steven Kenway and Deputy Director Brian McIntosh, this webinar will explore how integrated approaches across stormwater, water recycling, and precinct-scale design can help shape the future of water management in Queensland and beyond.

Hear from leading experts on how industry and academia are working together to drive innovation through:

Industry embedded research
Collaborative governance
Next generation training

The session will also highlight practical pathways to improving water security and building a more connected, future ready water sector.

PhD Opportunities

The ARC Training Centre for Climate-Resilient Water has PhD opportunities available across a range of research themes.

qldwater is a proud partner of the Centre which will drive transformation in governance, efficiency, and circular water systems, training the next generation of leaders and innovators. Climate change is threatening water reliability, increasing costs, energy use and emissions. Backed by 28 partners across utilities, councils, universities, and government this Centre is offering 25+ PhD scholarships, 6 postdocs, and 25 masters scholarships - plus industry placements and collaborative design challenges.

Expressions of interest are invited for domestic candidates before 6 July 2026. Opportunities for international candidates will open later in the year – check back soon.

More info here.

CURRENT CONSULTATIONS

Public Consultation on Draft Guidance for the ADWG on chlorate, nickel and ammonia

The National Health and Medical Research Council has opened a consultation on draft guidance for the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines on ammonia, nickel and chlorate and other minor changes. The consultation details can be found here.

qldwater will be making a submission on this draft guideline. If you would like to share your experience of meeting compliance for any of the proposed guideline values, please reach out to Louise Reeves at lreeves@qldwater.com.au.

The consultation closes on 5 June 2026.

Queensland Productivity Review into Environmental Regulation

The Queensland Productivity Commission (QPC) is conducting an inquiry into the impacts of recent changes to federal environmental regulation.

The inquiry into reforms to Commonwealth environmental laws – including the 2025 changes to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act – is an important opportunity to address long standing issues around assessment timeframes, duplication and regulatory burden for urban water (infrastructure) projects in Queensland.

The QPC has released its Call for Submissions inviting all stakeholders to make a submission to the inquiry – closing date 13 July.

More info here.

Environment Protection Reform Consultation

The Australian Government’s Environment Protection Reform Bills were passed by the Australian Parliament on Friday 28 November 2025. The reforms implement the key recommendations of the 2020 Samuel Review. Some parts of the new laws have already commenced while others continue to be rolled out in stages.

Once fully implemented, these reforms will deliver stronger environmental protection and restoration, more efficient and robust project assessments and greater accountability and transparency in decision making.

The next stage of the reforms will set up the future environmental regulation system for success, Including the establishment of the National Environmental Protection Agency (National EPA) and the statutory head of Environment Information Australia (EIA).

DCCEEW are consulting on the policy settings for new or updated rules and regulations that support a smooth transition to the new National EPA, provide more certainty for projects and environment protection and reduce duplication across different regulatory systems

They are proposing that these supporting laws come into effect on 1 July 2026.

To support this consultation, they have released draft regulations. Feedback is due Friday 5 June 2026.

Strengthening Protections Against Violent Workplace Incidents Amendment Bill

On 13 May 2026 the Hon Shannon Fentiman MP, Member for Waterford, introduced the Strengthening Protections Against Violent Workplace Incidents Amendment Bill 2026 into the Queensland Parliament. The Bill was referred to the State Development, Infrastructure and Works Committee for detailed consideration.

The purpose of the Bill is to strengthen protections against violent workplace incidents, by creating a new notifiable incident class of violent incident.

The Bill amends the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and the associated provisions in the Safety in Recreational Water Activities Act 2011 to widen the scope of a notifiable incident to include a new violent incident definition.

The closing date for written submissions is Thursday, 25 June 2026 at 5pm.

Have your say on Environmental Offsets Framework review

The Queensland Government is seeking feedback on a proposed refresh of the Environmental Offsets Framework, which helps balance development with environmental protection. The review will focus on improving how offsets are delivered, calculated and regulated.

A newdiscussion paper outlines key challenges, including delays and complexity, and invites stakeholder input on three focus areas: unlocking the Offset Account, financial calculations, and regulatory improvements.

An online information session will be held on 18 June (12.30–2.00pm) - register to attend or receive updates.

Feedback is open until 29 June 2026 via the consultation website or email offsetsreview@detsi.qld.gov.au.