Industry to embark on "water journey" for Ozwater'22

Ozwater’22 is set to hit Brisbane from 10–12 May 2022, and the event’s theme — Our Water Journey — calls on the sector to unite and reflect on how far we’ve come as a collective. 

The call for papers is now open and offers water professionals and businesses the opportunity to share unique insights, projects and learnings at Australia’s premier water conference and exhibition.

Ozwater’22 Committee Chair, Urban Utilities’ Executive Leader Service Delivery David Brooker, said that the theme is about celebrating the evolution of the sector as a whole, including its past, present and future.

“I started my water sector journey as a graduate process engineer at what was then Brisbane Water. Over the years, I’ve seen the role of the water industry expand to reflect the rapidly changing expectations of our customers and communities, and this has certainly made for an exciting career,” he said.

“There is no doubt that our industry is facing a number of challenges but these also provide opportunities for us to improve, adapt and transform. The Ozwater’22 theme is all about recognising that the water sector is evolving and that this evolution is within our control.

“We must continue to embrace innovative thinking to help solve the complex problems we face and to help create liveable and flourishing communities.”

Sixty years of connections

Brooker said the Ozwater’22 theme is also about celebrating connections.

“Connection within our communities, connection with First Nations people and connection between people. This unity is one of the great things about our sector,” he said.

“Ozwater’22 will also be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Australian Water Association and the development of the water industry over this time,” Brooker said.

“We have some significant challenges ahead of us and we need to address them together. These include a changing climate, pressures on the environment, the need to protect public health and enabling our cities and towns to grow.

We must ask ourselves, “How can the sector continue to effectively adopt new technologies so we can integrate and transform old ways of doing things? And how can we drive efficiency and better community outcomes moving forward?”

Reflecting the water industry's diversity

Brooker said the Ozwater’22 program will aim to reflect the evolution of the industry by expanding on some of the sub-themes of the event.

“We have broadened some of the sub-themes to ensure we are capturing the diversity and evolution of the sector, too,” he said.

“We would love to see the breadth of our sector represented, as well as incorporating ideas from outside the water industry. We are recognising that our industry is becoming digital and that operations aren't solely about physical assets but about information technology as well.

“Further, we’ll be dedicating more space to people and culture, recognising that the way we work together is key to our success.”

Interested in submitting a paper for Ozwater’22 in Brisbane? Submissions are due by 20 September 2021. For more information on how you can get involved go to www.ozwater.org