eFlash #676 New
Date: 16-Oct-2026
In this edition: End of Year Drinks | YPW National Water Week Webinar | Water Supply Regulator Workshop | AWA QLD Conference 2026 | Environmental Regulator Roadshow | BoM Water Sector Climate and Water Briefing | Latest Safe Work Australia Stats | Water Night 2026 | New Additions to IChEMS Consultation | Draft State Planning Policy Open for Consultation | Submissions for New End of Waste Codes | Georgina and Diamantina Water Plan
End of Year Drinks - Register Now!
We’re looking forward to catching up with members and supporters at our End of Year Drinks on Wednesday, 18 November 2026 from 5.30 – 7.30pm at the Green Deck, Parliament House, Brisbane.
We are pleased to announce that the Minister for Local Government and Water and Minister for Fire, Disaster Recovery and Volunteers, Ann Leahy and the Assistant Minister for Primary Industry Development, Water and Western Queensland in Queensland is Sean Dillon MP, have confirmed their attendance at the event.
A big thank you to Dredging Solutions for sponsoring this year’s event and helping make it affordable to our members. We also welcome them as our newest Affiliate Member, growing qldwater’s Affiliate Membership network to 24 organisations.
YWP National Water Week Webinar 2026
The Australian Water Association’s Young Water Professionals is hosting a National Water Week webinar on Monday, 19 October from 11am Brisbane time to help build confidence in communicating about water to your communities, friends, families, colleagues and students.
The session will explore how to take opportunities to bring water to the forefront of people's minds so they can appreciate how Water Connects Everything.
Tracey Willingham from Sydney Water will share tips on how to amplify water stories beyond the sector and the different touchpoints people have with water throughout their lives, including school, university, community and customer experiences.
Des Gralton from qldwater will showcase the new 'Flood Game' and how learn-through-play approaches can support accessible water education.
Brendan Dagg from Hunter H2O will highlight the professional development opportunities that can be gained from volunteering and water education.
This free webinar is for anyone who wants to be part of shaping a sustainable water future for generations to come.
Water Supply Regulator Workshop
Jess Dean and Neil Holmes attended the Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers WSR Workshop in Townsville on Monday.
Jess did a presentation to showcase the benefits of swimlocal and how it can help our members satisfy their DWQMO monitoring and reporting requirements.
Neil Holmes spoke to some of the work that has recently emerged from the QWRAP Program in the DWQMP space.
AWA Queensland Conference 2026
qldwater attended the AWA Queensland Conference in Townsville this week with Sarah Henry presenting her QWater25 Best Paper presentation, Breaking Silos, Building Strength on day one and Col Hester facilitating a panel session on Trade Waste and providing an update on the qldwater Trade Waste Uplift Project.
We congratulate the AWA on a great event.
Environmental Regulator Roadshow
qldwater CEO Dr Georgina Davis participated in a panel discussion at the Department of of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation's (DETSI) Environmental Regulator Roadshow - Local Governments on Tuesday.
The program included updates on current priorities, emerging issues and the future direction of environmental regulation in Queensland, LG partnership case studies and a panel session on the environment and growth: protecting waterways while enabling development.
OTHER NEWS
BoM Water Sector Climate and Water Briefing
The Bureau of Meteorology's Water Sector Services team are holding a Water Sector Climate and Water Briefing for the high-risk weather season ahead at 1pm AEST on Thursday 29 October 2026.
The current El Niño is forecast to be one of the strongest on record. In Australia, its forecast to be a warmer than usual summer.
The content shared will provide a national coverage and include:
- Recent conditions – to set the scene.
- Long-range forecasts and climate indicators – to plan for the season ahead.
- High-risk weather season outlook: thunderstorms, tropical cyclones, flood risk, heatwaves, and bushfires – typical impacts and key areas of concern.
Meeting ID: 421 978 568 532 42 | Passcode: 33Jz3Fs6
Latest Safe Work Australia Stats
This week Safe Work Australia published Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2026, revealing the latest national data on work-related fatalities, injuries and disease.
Tragically, 222 workers lost their lives in 2025 as a result of traumatic injuries sustained at work. This is the highest annual number of worker fatalities since 2012 and is above the 5-year average of 197 fatalities.
These figures demand attention and action. Behind every worker fatality is a person, a family and a community whose lives have been changed forever.
While emerging work health and safety (WHS) challenges associated with artificial intelligence and new technologies are attracting increased attention, the report shows that workers continue to be killed or seriously injured by well-known hazards that can and must be better controlled.
Vehicle incidents remained the leading cause of work-related traumatic injury fatalities, accounting for 41% of all worker deaths. Falls from a height and being hit by falling objects were the next most common causes.
Work-related harm also remains concentrated in a small number of industries. In 2025, 74% of work-related traumatic injury fatalities and 61% of serious workers' compensation claims occurred in agriculture, forestry and fishing; public administration and safety; transport, postal and warehousing; manufacturing; health care and social assistance; and construction.
The report also highlights the continuing burden of work-related injury and illness. In 2024-25, there were 147,200 serious workers' compensation claims involving one week or more of time off work. Mental health conditions accounted for 12% of serious claims, representing a 169% increase over the past decade.
The findings show that current efforts are not delivering the improvement we should expect. Reducing work-related harm will require governments, regulators, employers, workers and industry to strengthen prevention, act on evidence, share lessons from serious incidents and ensure effective controls are applied consistently across industries and workplaces.
See the stats at Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2026
Water Night 2026
Water Night is an annual event run by The Water Conservancy to support stronger action on climate change and water awareness. Individuals and households registered agree to turn off all taps and running water from 5-10pm with the aim of improving water knowledge and helping people value water more.
Find out more and register here.
CURRENT CONSULTATIONS
New additions to IChEMS: consultation
DCCEEW has opened consultation on the proposed chemical standards for 10 new chemicals. Proposed listings are:
- Schedule 6: Long chain perfluorocarboxylic acids; Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
- Schedule 5: Nonylphenols and nonylphenol ethoxylates
- Schedule 4: Hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) and hydrochlorofluoroolefins (HCFO);
- Schedule 3: Pentane, isopentane and cyclopentane; Dehydroacetic acid; Fluorescent Brightener 71 and related chemicals; Hexamine and related chemicals
- Schedule 2: Ethane, propane and butanes; Salicylic acid and its salts
Of most interest to the urban water sector is the Schedule 6 listing of the long chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (LC PFCAs), which are PFAS widely used in industries including automotive, manufacturing, chemical, electronics and textiles. The listing is import and use prohibition that covers PFCAs with between 8 and 20 carbons including PFOA (already listed in Schedule 7 of IChEMS), PFNA, PFDA and so on.
The Schedule 6 listing (rather than Schedule 7) for the LC PFCAs reflects some ongoing essential uses for these chemicals in "semiconductors in replacement parts for articles and combustion-engine-powered vessels" and "replacement parts for motor vehicles that have ceased mass production".
The consultation is open until 23 October 2026.
For more information about the proposal, visit theIChEMS consultation page.
Draft State Planning Policy Open for Consultation
The Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning is seeking feedback on a draft State Planning Policy, a key part of Queensland’s planning framework. It sets out the state’s interests in land use planning and development and guides how local planning instruments are prepared and applied across Queensland.
The draft State Planning Policy proposes several changes, including:
- new strategic aspirations
- a revised structure
- updated and consolidated state interests
- changes to supporting statutory tools and guidance materials
Consultation is open until 26 October. If you want to contribute to qldwater’s submission please contact Georgina.
Georgina and Diamantina Water Plan
The Queensland Government is calling on water users, communities and industries to have their say on the draft Georgina and Diamantina water plan.
The new plan aims to replace the current water plan and support the region’s long-term water security, while creating greater opportunities for future economic and community development.
Consultation closes 16 December 2026.
More information and submit feedback here.
Price monitoring investigation: Unitywater and Urban Utilities
The Queensland Government directed the Queensland Competition Authority (QCA) to conduct a price monitoring investigation into the monopoly business activities of Unitywater and Urban Utilities.
Unitywater and Urban Utilities have submitted pricing proposals for the period 1 July 2027 to 30 June 2030. These proposals, together with supporting documents, are now available on the QCA’s website.
The QCA invites stakeholders to provide initial submissions on the businesses' pricing proposals by 5 October 2026. If you want to contribute to qldwater’s submission, pleasecontact Georgina.