Regional and remote communities across Queensland face mounting pressure to deliver safe, affordable drinking water. Limited funding, ageing assets and workforce constraints make this task increasingly complex. Addressing collective challenges through well-designed solutions and alternative approaches to delivery can help communities use limited resources more effectively and support equitable, long-term water services for all.
Delivering safe, reliable and affordable drinking water is a fundamental and reasonable expectation for every community. In Queensland’s regional and remote areas, however, meeting this expectation has become significantly more difficult.
Local governments now face a complex web of challenges. Ageing infrastructure, a changing regulatory environment, constrained budgets and skill shortages sit alongside rising community concern about water quality issues such as PFAS. These pressures create a persistent cycle of “doing more with less”, highlighting the need for new thinking, innovative delivery models and a clear focus on equity and affordability.
Queensland’s urban water sector is as diverse as its geography. Services are delivered by a mix of bulk water entities, distributor-retailers, local governments, including indigenous councils, and private providers. While the 20 largest service providers cover 95 percent of connected properties, the remaining five percent, often the most remote and vulnerable, are served by 52 small and very small providers. These communities are frequently isolated, with limited access to resources and expertise.
For councils in these regions, the challenges are acute. Financial sustainability is a constant struggle, with budgets heavily reliant on rates, fees and grants. Many councils receive just a fraction of each tax dollar, restricting their flexibility to invest in service expansion or asset renewal. Grant dependency, rising operational costs and the burden of maintaining ageing assets further strain already tight budgets. The consequences include deferred maintenance, reduced service reliability, increasing risk profiles and growing inequity between regions.
Asset management is a critical issue. Queensland councils collectively manage $142 billion in assets, yet many face increased risk of not sustaining services due to ageing infrastructure and inadequate renewal funding. Key metrics, such as the asset consumption ratio, highlight how deferred maintenance undermines water supply reliability and quality. Long-life assets, including treatment plants and pipelines, require consistent, long-term investment programs – something many councils simply cannot sustain with their current revenue streams and resources.
Governance and planning constraints compound these challenges. Gaps in budgeting, service cost monitoring and performance tracking can leave underfunded water services invisible to decision-makers, delaying corrective action. Communities, meanwhile, expect and deserve appropriate water quality standards. Councils’ financial capacity often limits their ability to meet these expectations, underscoring the need for a holistic understanding of the scale and criticality of service standards, associated risks and the actions required to support equitable, informed decision-making.
Against this backdrop, the need to do more with less is not just a slogan, it’s a necessity. Delivering equitable water services in regional Queensland requires balancing resource constraints, population growth and change, climate variability and the diverse needs of urban and rural communities.
Historically, reactive investments target problems after they arise, often resulting in expensive infrastructure with limited efficiency. Smaller regional providers often need significant support to deliver and maintain infrastructure that goes beyond “business as usual” for local government portfolios. Piecemeal investment at the community level reduces opportunities for economies of scale and standardisation, disconnecting investment from the broader benefits recognised at the state level.
Doing more with less can be guided by several key principles: efficiency, resilience, innovation, equity and long-term sustainability. Investment needs to deliver equitable access for all communities, particularly marginalised and vulnerable populations, and support the long-term sustainability of water supplies in the face of climate variability. These communities, particularly remote and Indigenous centres, deserve support and engagement in addressing their challenges. Locally appropriate solutions that can be efficiently operated, maintained and augmented as conditions change are essential.
Ultimately, cost-effective service delivery reduces the economic burden on both government and households.
Collaboration is one of the most effective ways to address these challenges. Inter-council partnerships and centralised management can pool resources, share specialist knowledge and unlock economies of scale. The Queensland Water Regional Alliance Program, a partnership between the Queensland Government, Queensland Water Directorate (qldwater), LGAQ and regional councils, illustrates this approach by promoting regional partnerships and joint procurement, delivering savings and strategic oversight that individual councils could not achieve alone.
Delivery efficiencies provide another key opportunity. By developing locally appropriate solutions that can be packaged, repeated and delivered by an efficient, skilled program workforce, communities can reduce costs, accelerate delivery and create solutions tailored to local needs. Standardised approaches to infrastructure upgrades, maintenance routines and workforce training drive efficiency while maintaining quality and compliance across diverse regions.
Alongside the practical need for efficient delivery, respectful and supportive engagement with stakeholders is essential. Developing a thorough understanding of local context, issues and opportunities through meaningful engagement allows participants to contribute and co-create solutions that make the best use of assets and resources, work locally and deliver more sustainable outcomes.
Beyond collaboration and standardisation, alternative delivery models offer new opportunities for regional communities. Models such as Engineering, Procurement and Contract Management (EPCM) and Design, Build, Operate and Maintain (DBOM) can streamline program and project delivery – particularly at scale – and appropriately manage risk while bringing specialist knowledge to the table.
EPCM supports detailed project development, coordinated procurement and overarching contract management, leveraging economies of scale and local suppliers. DBOM, meanwhile, extends responsibility for operation and maintenance to the contractor, supporting continuity and accountability beyond construction.
Outsourcing operations to external providers can also provide resource depth, access to non-local technical support and deliver efficiencies, especially when aligned with specialist treatment or operational technology. These models are particularly valuable for smaller councils that may lack the capacity to operate new infrastructure independently or to benefit from shared equipment and operational requirements across council boundaries.
Importantly, any move toward alternative delivery models must be carefully structured so that ownership of new and upgraded assets remains with councils, preserving local control and accountability.
Financial constraints remain a central barrier to progress. Many councils have limited capacity – and often limited appetite – for full cost recovery, especially where historical underinvestment has created significant funding gaps. New infrastructure brings additional operational costs, so councils’ capacity to pay must be carefully considered when structuring any financial support.
Program funding needs to include operational phase considerations so that up-front investment is followed by a sustainable path forward to maintain and operate assets effectively. This could include in-kind investment that takes into account long-term operations, mechanisms to amortise community service obligations and semi-private or private investment with extended payback periods.
Strengthening financial controls, audit and transparency can support more efficient water investment. A dedicated program management function can assist with investigation, development and delivery, addressing operational issues, administering contracts and providing commercial and financial review. Independent oversight and governance committees, comprising councils, government representatives and funding partners, can review performance, monitor progress and assess stakeholder relationships to maintain ongoing accountability and promote continuous improvement.
The value of these approaches is evident in a real-world example. Wannon Water’s Great Tasting Water program in Victoria demonstrates how innovative thinking about the intersection of water services and public health can unlock new opportunities.
By addressing the negative impacts of mineral salts in groundwater, Wannon Water developed a business case for an upgrades program that would improve health outcomes, reduce costs for households and industry and deliver benefits exceeding $47 million. The program’s success was built on community consultation, partnership and a commitment to both economic and social impacts – principles equally relevant for Queensland’s regional communities.
By embracing collaboration, standardisation and alternative delivery models, communities can do more with less, stretching every dollar further towards equitable services across the regions. Delivering affordable, reliable water services in regional Queensland is a complex challenge, but it is not insurmountable.
The path forward will require a focus on outcomes, prioritising investment in the most critical areas and stretching every dollar further through innovative delivery approaches, strategic solutions that deliver operable, generational infrastructure and a steadfast commitment to equitable service through proactive programs rather than reactive fixes.
Working alongside communities, governments and industry unlocks long-term water solutions for all Queenslanders. A collective commitment to doing more with less means even the most remote communities can access safe, affordable and reliable drinking water, now and into the future.
James Skene is Market Leader – Water at GHD.
This article was first published by GHD. You can find the original here.