Welcome to the first edition of the Town Water Risk Reduction Program newsletter.
What is the Town Water Risk Reduction Program?
The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) has established the two-year Town Water Risk Reduction Program (the Program) to work together with the sector to identify long-term solutions to the key barriers facing Local Water Utilities (LWUs).
The Program is based on a partnership approach, which recognises and leverages the wealth of expertise within councils, LWUs and relevant government agencies. These stakeholders will collaborate with the department to develop solutions to these common barriers.
The Program team will keep you updated on all opportunities for collaboration, including opportunities to participate in working groups, through future newsletters.
Reducing risks for LWUs
A key objective of the Town Water Risk Reduction Program is to reduce risks for LWUs. Funding from the existing Safe and Secure Water Program is already helping to reduce levels of urban water service risk for communities in regional NSW, however it does not target all the fundamental barriers to effective risk management.
The Program aims to address this by developing and implementing a new way of working that enables LWUs to manage risks and priorities in town water systems more strategically and effectively. This will also contribute to reducing water security, quality and environmental risks in communities in regional NSW over time.
Following initial feedback from the sector, the proposed high-level areas of focus for the Program are:
1. Improve the regulatory and support framework 2. Encourage greater collaboration 3. Facilitate greater State Government support 4. Review of skills shortages 5. Investigate alternative funding models
Further information about the scope of the program is set out in the in the Program factsheet on the website.
Meet the program team
A dedicated program team has been established and is making progress in scoping the program and setting up key stakeholder engagement mechanisms.
Erin Cini – Director
Sascha Moege – Manager
Nanda Altavilla – Principal Policy Officer
Glen Colley – Principal Policy Officer
Josh Tickell – Principal Policy Officer (seconded part time from NSW Health Water Unit)
Paddy Gidney – Senior Policy Officer
Stakeholder Advisory Panel
A Stakeholder Advisory Panel made up of key sector stakeholders and regulators has been established as a forum to sense-check the Program’s scope, engagement approach and progress, and to also be a sounding board on strategic issues and risks. The Panel has met on three occasions since the first meeting on 24 February 2021 and will continue to meet monthly over the course of the program. At the initial meetings, the Panel has discussed the objectives of the Program and the problems it is seeking to address, and provided input on the Program’s proposed focus areas, prioritisation order, and engagement plan.
Going forward the Panel will provide advice on the prioritisation of the Program’s focus areas and opportunities for continued collaboration.
The Stakeholder Advisory Panel members include:
Clr Bill West, Mayor Cowra Shire Council, Local Government NSW
Mr Brendan Guiney, Executive Officer, NSW Water Directorate
Ms Rebel Thompson, Executive Officer, Namoi Joint Organisation of Councils (JO member)
Dr Annalisa Contos, Principal, Atom Consulting (Consultant member)
Mr David Kirby, Utilities Manager, Brewarrina Shire Council (LWU manager member)
Mr Aaron Drenovski, General Manager, Goldenfields Water (County Council member)
Mr Graham Kennett, General Manager, Kyogle Council (LWU General Manager member)
Dr Katrina Wall, A/Manager, NSW Health, Water Unit (Co-regulator)
Mr Peter Marczan, Manager Technical Assessments and Advice Environment Protection Authority (Co-regulator)
Mr Luke Walton, Executive Director, DPIE – Planning and Assessment/Office of Local Government (Co-regulator)
Mr Michael Blackmore, Director DPIE – Water, Water Utility Advisory, Operations & Regulation (Co-regulator)
Ms Erin Cini, Director, DPIE – Water, Town Water Risk Reduction Program (Chair).
Next steps
Following consultation with the Stakeholder Advisory Panel, the Program team is establishing ways to begin engaging with the sector in relation to specific high-priority areas of work. This is expected to involve creating several issue-specific stakeholder working groups and focussed teams to undertake high priority work.
The Program team is continuing to receive and respond to feedback from the sector in relation to the proposed Program scope and approach as outlined in the Program factsheet and webpage.
A Senior Officers Group has also been established which includes the four agencies that co-regulate Local Water Utilities (DPIE, NSW Health, Office of Local Government, and NSW Environment Protection Authority) as well as a wide range of other NSW Government agencies and entities whose work could potentially impact or be impacted by the Program. This group will meet on a quarterly basis to ensure interested NSW Government agencies are kept informed and to align any potential opportunities with other Government activities.
Further information and feedback
Visit the Town Water Risk Reduction Program website for more detailed information including a fact sheet that sets out the Program scope and proposed focus areas.
Have your say
We welcome your views on the Program scope and how you would like to contribute. Email the Program team at regional.town.water@dpie.nsw.gov.au
