Highlights of the Annual Industry Breakfast

It was fantastic to see more than 200 people at our Annual Industry Breakfast, held this year at Victoria Park in the gorgeous Marquee Room. This was the first opportunity we’ve had to connect in person, without restrictions, for quite some time and the energy in the room reflected the excitement of being able to network freely again. And we had a new record for this event with 16 corporate tables booked!

We were very pleased to have the AWA CEO, Corinne Cheeseman in attendance and provide an update on AWA activities and the focus of Strategy’25.

The focus of the breakfast was to hear from regulators about their water policy vision for the year ahead and it was great to hear from Graham Fraine, Director-General, Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water about the Department’s plans to address the challenges of climate change, population movement and ageing infrastructure with a key focus on collaboration and fit-for-purpose solutions in specific locations.

Collaboration also featured strongly concerning LGAQ’s advocacy priorities on behalf of local councils. Alison Smith, CEO, Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ), spoke of efforts to encourage greater investment in the replacement and repair of network assets through the Queensland Water Regional Alliance Program (QWRAP), which has led to significant savings and benefits for regional communities.

Chris Mooney, Director Environmental Services and Regulation, Department of Environment and Science, spoke about the opportunities for the water sector to continue driving a sustainable future. Mooney highlighted particular opportunities with the announcements relating to the ‘climate positive’ 2032 Olympics and the opportunities for legacy projects for the sector, not just in South East Queensland, but across the state. She provided details of key projects and targets including Reef Water Quality Improvement, Biosolids Gasification, Water Quality Offsets and Recycled Water use in several communities.

Thank you to our facilitator, Shannon Dooland, ANZ Solutions & Technology Director, Jacobs and to Jacobs for once again generously sponsoring this event. 

Thank you also to those organisations who hosted regional hubs to allow members and stakeholders to gather in other locations to watch the panel discussion and have an opportunity to network. Thanks to Arup in Cairns, Townsville City Council and Cleveland Bay Chemical Company in Townsville, Mackay Regional Council and Mount Isa Water Board.

There are some great photos of the event in our photo gallery.

The Branch Committee has started planning next year’s breakfast which will be held at Victoria Park again on Wednesday, 22 February 2023. Mark the date in your diaries now!