Chairs & Coordinators Unite in Brisbane

On Tuesday, 19 August, QWRAP hosted the 2025 Chairs and Coordinators Forum in Brisbane, bringing together regional leaders, government representatives, and industry experts to collaborate on the future of urban water management in Queensland.

The forum served as a valuable opportunity to:

Review the QWRAP Program and its strategic direction.
Hear the latest updates from the Queensland Government on urban water initiatives.
Share knowledge across regions, highlighting successes and challenges.
Showcase key projects planned for 2024–2025.
Explore new funding arrangements and the evolving QWRAP Research Project.

Program Highlights

Jenifer Hartwig (LGAQ) opened the day with a presentation on QWRAP Program Funding Rounds and Program Protocols. Her session encouraged attendees to reflect on their experiences with the most recent funding round, share challenges, and suggest improvements to better support regional collaboration.

Col Hester (WBBUWA Coordinator and Project Manager) and Cass Cowley (Water Industry Jobs and Skills Adviser) presented on QWRAP Statewide Products, including:

The SWIMskills Trial Database
Training Needs Analysis Trials in North West and WBBUWA regions
The benefits of aggregated training
The Skills Roadmap that Cass is working on with a focus on attraction, training and retention.

Daniel Field (LGAQ) shared insights from his QWRAP Research and Program Evaluation, detailing the methodology, scope, and consultation opportunities available to regions. His work aims to strengthen the evidence base for QWRAP’s impact and guide future improvements.

Regional Updates and Collaboration

Following the presentations, coordinators participated in a workshop session where each region shared updates and outlined future priorities. These insights were captured in the summary table below (download a pdf copy here).

Desiré Gralton (qldwater) presented on QWRAP communications, showcasing available resources including templates, banners, key messages, and website tools designed to support regional storytelling and stakeholder engagement.

Steph Hogan (Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers) provided an overview of the Queensland Government’s election commitments review, highlighting potential implications for the water sector.

Key Projects Spotlight

The day concluded with a showcase of three standout projects:

Smart Metering Playbook – Whitsunday Isaac Mackay Water Alliance
Produced by BetterAIM, the Smart Metering Playbook will be configured to align with a service provider’s Asset Management Plan and rooted in ISO55001 format. Framework elements will range from high level to detailed process steps with example documents and other external information.
Drinking Water Audits Project – South West Queensland Water and Sewerage Alliance
The joint procurement of the SWQWSA Water Audits is delivering a range of benefits including the alignment of deadlines, streamlined project delivery and a 17-21% efficiency financial benefit for participating councils.
Financial, Asset and Skills Risk Project – Central Queensland Water and Sewerage Alliance
The group secured $300k in funding and through a RFQ process, assigned AECOM to manage the project with a focus on people, assets and finances.

These initiatives reflect the innovation and collaboration driving QWRAP forward and demonstrate the value of regional partnerships in tackling complex water challenges.

The Chairs and Coordinators Forum is a highlight of the year, building strong networks and cross regional alliances to ensure that water service providers across Queensland can deliver safe, secure and sustainable water and sewerage services to their communities.