eFlash #534
Date: 11-May-2022
In this edition: Rob Fearon is moving on (Part 2)| Chlorates – QHealth Position Statement| Gympie Regional Conference – Call for Papers| Port Douglas Regional Conference – Registrations Close Today!| Water Skills Forum 2022 – Registrations Close Next Week!| Fundamentals Webinar – Register Now| Free RADHAZ Safety Training from TAFE Queensland
1. Rob is moving on (Part 2)
Rob took the opportunity to announce his departure last week, and there will be more to come in future newsletters, but it’s important to properly acknowledge this significant event.
Rob’s departure after nearly 16 years is a major blow to qldwater. While not quite the foundation CEO, he served in the role from 2006 to 2011 and drove the development of the organisation including all of our early growth. Since that time he has taken an idea for an alliance program and expanded it to most parts of regional Queensland while still delivering critical member services across a range of areas of expertise.
He has contended that it won’t take five people to replace him, and while that may be true, it is a number significantly greater than one. Many of the benefits we see can’t be readily quantified, but if they could it would be many millions of dollars in external investment to the sector, significant high value efficiencies, as well as seeing smarter policy and regulation leading to many more millions in improved productivity and reduced burden for members.
Rob was the recipient of AWA Queensland’s Regional Service Award in 2018 and the fact that that is the only major industry gong to list is more a reflection of his general humility and perhaps some laziness from his colleagues in not nominating him for things more often. His commitment to strategic industry improvement is unequalled and he commands respect from across our membership and stakeholder base.
On the up-side, we’ve been able to secure his services both to help out with next week’s Water Connections Week tour in the far north, as well as to be able to provide some ongoing advice and support for new staff we will aim to start recruiting very soon. Personally, we’ve been mates for a very long time, and I look forward to the chance to again have a quiet beer without a work conversation in the future. For our team, his strategic outlook, balance and humour will be greatly missed.
Congratulations Rob, we all wish you the best in the new gig.
Dave Cameron
CEO
2. Chlorates – QHealth Position Statement
Queensland Health has developed a position statement in relation to chlorates, which is attached to this email. Chlorate is a potential health hazard in drinking water where sodium hypochlorite chlorine disinfection is used and needs to be managed in accordance with the interim guideline value developed by QHealth, which is 0.8mg/L. Detection of chlorate above 0.8mg/L must be reported to the regulator as an event, i.e. the detection of a parameter that has no guideline value in ADWG, which may adversely impact public health. Also, any detection of chlorate below 0.8 mg/L must be reported to the regulator, as an event, if your approved DWQMP does not specifically state how it will be managed and/or if it includes QHealth’s interim guideline value or a lower reportable value, as an operational limit.
To assist with the management of this parameter, qldwater has developed an information sheet, which you can view here.
3. Gympie Regional Conference – Call for Papers
qldwater is excited to announce our next regional conference for 2022 will be held in Gympie, kindly hosted by Gympie Regional Council on the 13th & 14th of July.
Have you learnt something new that you would like to share? Or learnt a lot from an activity that other service providers should hear about? The call is now open for presentations to fill 20-25 minutes slots.
There will be a site tour taking place on Wednesday 13th followed by an optional dinner in the evening. The main conference day will be Thursday 14th July.
Presentations from qldwater members or organisations able to co-present with members will always be prioritised. We aim to make the process as easy as possible: you will need to provide us with a brief outline now and a PowerPoint a couple of days before the event. Please forward your ideas to dcameron@qldwater.com.au.
Sponsorship opportunities are available for the Gympie Regional Conference. Please contact Naomi (ncarragher@qldwater.com.au) if you are interested in sponsoring this event.
To view our upcoming events please visit our website: https://qldwater.com.au/upcoming-events
4. Port Douglas Regional Conference – Registrations Close Today!
Registrations Close Today. Register now so you don’t miss out!
Our Port Douglas Regional Conference is to be held in Port Douglas, kindly hosted by Douglas Shire Council on the 23rd & 24th May.
There will be a site tour taking place on Monday 23rd May in the early afternoon. Places are limited for the site tour so make sure you get in quickly to secure your spot!
Following the site tour there will be a network dinner taking place at the Hemingway’s Brewery Port Douglas at 6pm.
The full day conference will take place on Tuesday 24th May at the Port Douglas Community Hall.
qldwater conferences are an informal opportunity for networking, updates on what’s impacting Queensland’s water and sewerage service providers, and technical presentations.
To see the draft program for the conference, please visit our event website.
There is a Carnivale taking place in Port Douglas over the weekend of the 21st & 22nd of May. Accommodation could be a challenge so please arrange your accommodation as soon as possible.
Thank you to our sponsors Grenof, WAGNERS, GanDen, Royce Water Technology, Simmonds & Bristow, Endress+Hauser, McBerns and Taggle for supporting our upcoming conference.
Please contact Naomi Carragher if you are interested in sponsoring this event.
5. Water Skills Forum 2022 – Registrations Close Next Week!
Water Skills Forum registrations close on Wednesday 18th May next week!
Register now to secure your spot!
Our Water Skills Forum will be held at our Eagle Farm office on Thursday 2nd June 2022.
The forum will still proceed as a hybrid event so virtual registrations are available; however, we encourage you to attend the forum in person if you are able.
Graham Fraine, the Director General of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water, has agreed to attend the last session to discuss industry skilling challenges and potential solutions.
The Forum will explore the Lifecycle of a Water Industry Worker, with three half-hour panel sessions exploring possible career paths, from ways to gain interest through pre-vocational opportunities to traineeships, graduate employment and industry co-investment models to entice postgraduate industry research. It also includes a session on a successful transition to retirement model.
The event will also include an “Attraction Hack” for a bit of fun but with a serious intent – to give us useful ideas to build awareness of the great opportunities in our industry. It’s your big chance to get creative and think outside the box.
Thank you to our sponsors TAFE Queensland and Simmonds and Bristow for their support of the upcoming forum.
Whether you can attend in person at our office in Eagle Farm or online, we look forward to welcoming you to the Water Skills Partnership signature annual event.
Please contact Naomi Carragher if you are interested in sponsoring this event.
6. Fundamentals Webinar – Register Here
Register now for our next Fundamentals Webinar on Tuesday, 31st May, 10am-11am, AEST with the topic ‘Lagoon Management’, presented by Kathryn Turner, Urban Utilities.
More sessions will be hosted in 2022, keep an eye on our Upcoming Events page for details.
Recordings of all previous webinars are available to download on the qldwater website. Please contact webinar@qldwater.com.au with any queries about previous or future webinars or to discuss sponsorship opportunities.
7. Free RADHAZ Safety Training from TAFE Queensland
RADHAZ (Radiation Hazard Awareness) is a safety training program developed by TAFE Queensland and is designed for workers who perform tasks around radiation emitting equipment such as broadcast towers, microwave links, mobile phone towers, transmitters and high voltage appliances. During the program, students gain an understanding of the potential health effects of exposure to radiation emitting hazards, the relevant limits and standards, awareness of safe working procedures at radiation emitting transmitter sites, ability to identify potential radiation emitting hazards on site, radiation emitting safety documentation, and the correct use of PPE. This non-accredited program is delivered in a two hour online workshop. Outcome Certificate of Participation.
The sessions will be available via a direct live “Teams” video link on Wednesdays, starting from Wednesday 18 May through to the end of June; with two sessions available to choose from - 10:00am – 12:00pm and 1:00pm – 3:00pm.
These sessions are free to QLD residents who are existing workers and existing students. To discuss a suitable date and session please email cilla.henry@tafeqld.edu.au.
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