Water Group now part of new NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water
As of 1 January 2024, the Department of Planning and Environment split to form 2 separate departments: 
  • NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water (DCCEEW)
  • Department of Planning, Housing, and Infrastructure (DPHI).
The Water Group now operates within the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water. 

This new structure will allow us to further deliver safe and secure water for the people of NSW, and support sustainable environments, economies and communities. 

This change will not affect our collaborative work with our customers and partners, and we look forward to a successful 2024 with you. 

Read more on our website.
 
 
 
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Join our webinar on Works Approvals – Section 60 and Section 292
 
You are invited to a webinar on works approvals for water treatment plants and sewerage works under the Regulatory and Assurance Framework.

The webinar will cover applications for Section 60, under the Local Government Act, and Section 292 (1)(a) of the Water Management Act.

The webinar will cover the application and assessment process as well as issues and learnings since it was introduced in July 2022. 

A question and answer session will be held at the end of the webinar. We will try to answer all your questions in the time allocated. However, for those we cannot address on the day, we will respond after the event.

This webinar is the first of regular webinars we are hosting throughout 2024 to better connect local water utilities and the department, share the latest information and hear your feedback.

When: Thursday 7 March
Time: 10.30 am – 11.30 am
Where: Online (Teams) 
Register: Sign up to join the webinar  
What does your water workforce look like? 
The department is preparing a workforce composition survey to gather information from local water utilities on workforce composition, training requirements, and the challenges attracting and retaining quality staff.  
 
The survey responses will help develop a NSW water industry workforce development strategy to drive sector-wide action to support local water utilities with recruitment, retention and staff training.  
 
The survey will be open in the next few months.   
 
 
Update on NSW Productivity Commission investigation
The NSW Productivity Commission has been requested by the Minister for Water to investigate funding options to help reduce service risk for local water utilities.

The commission is expected to release an issues paper in late February.

It will be available on the 'Review of funding models for local water utilities' webpage. 

We will provide an update in the March newsletter.
 
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Give your feedback: Regulator Perception Survey open until 29 February
The regulator perception survey we conduct every 6 months helps us to better understand your views on how the department regulates, supports and works in partnership with local water utilities.

Your feedback will help us identify areas for improvement. 

All responses are anonymous and the survey will take around 5 minutes to complete. The responses will be made available on our website in the coming months. 

The survey is open until Thursday 29 February at 5 pm (AEDT). 

 
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Find out more
We oversee the delivery of water and sewerage services by local water utilities, as well as the management of water service risks. Visit the local water utilities website for more information.
 
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Contact us
1300 081 047
(business hours)
Send us a message