In this edition: Queensland Government Announcements| Smarter Investment in Wastewater and Water Management forum: Book now!| Amendments to the Water Fluoridation Code of Practice| Charters Towers Regional Conference – Register Now| Women in Engineering Day| Position Available – Cairns Regional Council|
1. Appointment of new Directors General
The Premier announced three new DG appointments on Friday:
Dr Graham Fraine
2. Resources and Other Legislation Amendment Bill(more details here and here) – has been through Presentation and First Reading last week and referred to the appropriate committee.
Amendments to the South East Queensland Water (Distribution and Retail Restructuring) Act
Amendments to the Water Supply (Safety and Reliability) Act
3. State Budget, new Building our Regions allocation for Water and Sewerage
The Queensland Government will support regional councils to improve water supply and security across the state by committing $70 million to Round 6 of Building our Regions funding in the State Budget, jointly administered by the Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water.
Regional councils will be able to bid for $70 million in funding over three years (10+30+30) to improve their water and sewerage systems.
Eligibility and application guidelines will be provided as they are made available.
4. QCA Investigation into Seqwater bulk prices
The review is to recommend bulk water prices to apply from 1/7/22 to 30/6/26. Submissions must be lodged by 13 August, with a further opportunity to lodge after the release of the draft report, expected in December 2021.
The Queensland Government is hosting a forum in conjunction with the Australian Water Association North Queensland Regional Conference. The Smarter investment in wastewater and water management - sharing lessons from the Reef catchment and the south east Queensland region forumis on Wednesday 28 July.
The half-day interactive forum, organised in partnership with qldwater and the Local Government Association of Queensland, will share insights and lessons learnt in managing water and wastewater for smarter investment across the Reef catchment and improved water quality outcomes for the Great Barrier Reef.
This is a critical opportunity for senior water and water treatment asset managers to share and gain valuable insights on catchment-wide approaches and capacity building opportunities for urban water and water management. For further details and registration, please visit https://ipweaq.eventsair.com/qwd-urban-water-forum-2021/
The Department of Health is in the process of amending the Code of Practice with changes summarised as follows:
Feedback is required by 23 July, please contact dcameron@qldwater.com.au if you would like copies of the materials to review. We will be forwarding directly to all currently fluoridating councils.
Only three weeks left to registerto attendthe Charters Towers Conference being held on the 21st and 22nd July. You better hurry and register now to not miss out on the complimentary registrations for qldwater members.
The event theme will be focused on ‘Water Quality Challenges in Northern Queensland’.
There will be a site tour taking place on Wednesday 21st July from 2:30pm to 4:30pm for those who would like to visit the Weir Pump Station and the Water Treatment Plant followed by an optional two course dinner for those who would like to join us.
Places are limited for the site tour due to the number of bus seats available so please register as soon as possible if you are planning to attend to secure your spot.
As an additional incentive to attend the Charters Towers Conference, you have the opportunity in Charters Towers to be part of a new idea based on sharing stories through photos and videos.
Before you get scared off – it’s not about you, it’s about the interesting kit you operate, challenges you’ve faced and how you have innovated to address them. For the event, you are invited to bring along your best example of something interesting. To find out more, click here.
The program is available on the event website.
There will be a meeting for the Northern Queensland Alliance participants in the morning of the 21st before the site tour.
There are still sponsorship opportunities still available, please contact Naomi
(ncarragher@qldwater.com.au) if you are interested in sponsoring this event.
Thank you to our confirmed sponsors GanDen our dinner sponsor, Aquatec Maxcon, Royce Water Technologies and Aqualyng ICES our Gold Sponsors and McBerns & Taggle our Silver Sponsors.
Today is the International Women in Engineering Day (INWED), a day where we celebrate the work and achievements of female engineers in shaping the world and making our planet a better, safer, more innovative and exciting place to be.
We are fortunate to work with some amazing women engineers in the urban water and sewerage industry, and today we would like to acknowledge their hard work and dedication to provide safe, secure and sustainable water to all Queensland communities.
Engineer Development – CW442 (Fixed-Term Full-Time until 30 August 2023)
Cairns Regional Council is currently seeking an Engineer Development to join our Water & Resource Recovery Department.
Primary Objective of the position:
To be successful in this role you must have:
For a full listing of the Key Duties & Responsibilities and full Selection Criteria please ensure you obtain a copy of the information kit and how to apply by visiting the Cairns Regional Council website, scrolling to the Position Description area, then clicking on "Open" to download the attachment.
Enquiries: Cairns Regional Council Recruitment Team
Ph: (07) 4044 3310
Applications Close: Sunday, 11 July 2021