Background:
On 18 December 2024, the Queensland Audit Office (QAO) published a performance audit report titled "Managing Queensland’s regional water quality." The report recommends that the Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers (DLGWV) develop a pathway for water service providers to adopt health-based targets in the production of potable water. This pathway should include:
- Assessing the regulatory impact of fully implementing the targets and the public health risks of not adopting them, including identifying costs and benefits.
- Publishing an implementation plan with a timeline and communication strategy to provide councils with more clarity for their infrastructure and operational planning.
Purpose:
On Thursday, 27 March 2025 qldwater, in partnership with KPMG, hosted a Health Based Targets Information Session. The session aimed to:
- Provide an overview of the operation and effect of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
- Explain what Health Based Targets are and how they interact with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
- Highlight challenges to the efficient and equitable implementation of Health Based Targets across Queensland.
- Identify key strategies for implementing changes towards the introduction of Health Based Targets and the effective regulation of the drinking water sector.
Speakers included:
- Overivew and Welcome by Jim Grayson
- Darren Brown, Assistant Auditor-General provided an overview of the QAO report with a focus upon HBT recommendations - Download Darren's presentation
- Associate Professor Helen Stratton to provide an overview of Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and the proposed introduction of Health Based Targets - Download Helen's presentation
- Dr. Georgina Davis from Queensland Water Directorate to discuss the merits of change and the challenges faced by her membership - Download Georgina's presentation
- Peter Beaton, Queensland Water Sector Lead from KPMG, to discuss governance and demonstrating due diligence to the Drinking Water Regulator
The event concluded with a roundtable discussion and opportunity for questions.