15 May 2022
Ozwater, Australia’s most prominent annual water conference and exhibition, recently took place in Brisbane. In addition to being the largest water conference and exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere, this year’s Ozwater conference was extra special as it also marked the Australian Water Association’s 60th anniversary. The theme of this year's event was 'Our Water Journey'.
Water is where Tonkin made it’s name, so it goes without saying that the Ozwater conference is key event on our calendars.
This year Carmen Wentrock, Jeff Tyler, Elsinore Mann and Ben Staniford represented Tonkin at Ozwater22. They have shared their key insights and takeaways below.
Water is where Tonkin made it’s name, so it goes without saying that the Ozwater conference is key event on our calendars.
This year Carmen Wentrock, Jeff Tyler, Elsinore Mann and Ben Staniford represented Tonkin at Ozwater22. They have shared their key insights and takeaways below.
Ozwater22 Insights from Carmen Wentrock
The AWA’s Ozwater conferences have always been a source of inspiration and opportunity, and this year’s event in Brisbane did not disappoint.
I enjoyed the energy and insights I gained from every keynote speaker session, paper presentation and workshop that I had the opportunity to attend. The exhibition hall was constantly buzzing. It was heartening to see so many passionate water professionals and organisations who were clearly excited to be able to network again in person.
The highlight of my week were the fantastic keynote speakers, including Dr. Miriam Rose, Ashleigh Morris from Coreo, Sam Johnson and Karni Liddell. Their ability to overcome challenges in all their different forms provides much inspiration, in both a professional and personal context.
It was great to be able to take a pause from the everyday office environment and focus on re-connecting with the wider water community (that has been lacking over the past two years!). I connected with old friends and made new ones, and had some great conversations about future opportunities to work together.
Now, it’s time to pass the insights I gained onto our wider team, and keep delivering exceptional outcomes for our clients and communities on #ourwaterjourney.
The AWA’s Ozwater conferences have always been a source of inspiration and opportunity, and this year’s event in Brisbane did not disappoint.
I enjoyed the energy and insights I gained from every keynote speaker session, paper presentation and workshop that I had the opportunity to attend. The exhibition hall was constantly buzzing. It was heartening to see so many passionate water professionals and organisations who were clearly excited to be able to network again in person.
The highlight of my week were the fantastic keynote speakers, including Dr. Miriam Rose, Ashleigh Morris from Coreo, Sam Johnson and Karni Liddell. Their ability to overcome challenges in all their different forms provides much inspiration, in both a professional and personal context.
It was great to be able to take a pause from the everyday office environment and focus on re-connecting with the wider water community (that has been lacking over the past two years!). I connected with old friends and made new ones, and had some great conversations about future opportunities to work together.
Now, it’s time to pass the insights I gained onto our wider team, and keep delivering exceptional outcomes for our clients and communities on #ourwaterjourney.
Jeff Tyler's Ozwater22 Insights
As far as opportunities to connect with other water professionals go, Ozwater is our nation’s premier water industry event. It was fantastic to be able to re-connect with our fellow water experts in a face-to-face environment again. I re-connected with old friends and met some new faces. Well done to the organising committee for delivering another event of such a high standard.
One of the hot topics at the conference, both among the delegates and the keynote speakers, was sustainability and how we as water professionals can provide stewardship in this area. Climate change and maximising water reuse and recycling remains a challenge for the future of our industry, as well as being able to meet future demand for water.
While there are many large-scale, and high-profile water projects taking place around our nation, it’s worth remembering that at the core of what we do, is the basic human right to have adequate access to water.
Case in point is the Mer (Murray) Island Water Network Management Program, which took home the regional Infrastructure Project Innovation Award. This project allowed the remote Mer (Murray) Island community in the Torres Strait to have their strict water restrictions lifted for the first time in 20 years.
This reminder, that even relatively smaller scale projects can have extremely profound benefits at a community level, was one of my key takeaways from the conference.
Well done to the Ozwater organising committee for delivering another event of such a high standard.
Elsinore Mann's insights from Ozwater22
The irony of arriving to cloudy skies in Brisbane and the deluge that ensued for the rest of week of OzWater was not lost on anyone, but it didn’t dampen spirits and enthusiasm for the conference. I was privileged to be part of the organising committee and it was great to see the program come to life and hear positive feedback about the huge range of topics being discussed. It was certainly difficult to decide where to spend your time.
I was particularly pleased to see the response to our decision to split the asset management and operations themes this year, with a much stronger response in terms of papers focused on asset management and planning, and in particular the focus on adaptive planning which is clearly becoming ‘business as usual’ as we face a more uncertain future. It was also excellent to hear Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner put the challenge to the industry to ensure we make prudent decisions now to support the needs of the community into the future (and of course for the 2032 Olympics!).
I was particularly pleased to see the response to our decision to split the asset management and operations themes this year, with a much stronger response in terms of papers focused on asset management and planning, and in particular the focus on adaptive planning which is clearly becoming ‘business as usual’ as we face a more uncertain future. It was also excellent to hear Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner put the challenge to the industry to ensure we make prudent decisions now to support the needs of the community into the future (and of course for the 2032 Olympics!).
While all the keynotes were engaging and thought provoking, it was the opening address from Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann that has stayed in my mind since. The timing of hearing her speak as we approach Reconciliation week has given more opportunity to reflect on her explanation of the concept and practice of dadirri, as well as the opportunities that come from increasing appreciation, understanding and involvement of First Peoples and their knowledge and values in water management decisions.
If I’m honest, the conference was also exhausting – I’m definitely out of practice! However it was so great to have the opportunity to reconnect with current and past colleagues and clients, and the value of the conference from a networking perspective can’t be understated. Our team finished the week enthused and ready to continue the conversations started this week.
