Enable a future focused, capable and innovative water sector
| 7.1 | Pilot new technologies to increase our water options |
| 7.2 | Collaborate to harness new research, innovation and technology |
| 7.3 | Invest in water sector workforce and capability |
Our aspiration
The NSW water sector delivers efficient services with a focus on innovation, performance and affordability, enabled by strong knowledge and capacity across the whole water sector.
Key challenges and opportunities
The NSW water sector will continually improve its capacity and performance, with a renewed focus on developing a performance culture across the sector. This will be based on the ‘building blocks’ for an effective water sector (derived from International Water Association framework for water smart cities). These building blocks are:
- vision
- governance
- knowledge and capacity
- planning tools
- implementation tools.
Within this, the NSW Government will emphasise the opportunities for research and development, innovation and technology to improve and drive performance of the water sector, and to support NSW assuming national and global leadership role in the water sector.
NSW water reforms are also building private sector capability in water management. For example, the metering reforms are supporting an increase in the size, maturity and technological sophistication of the water metering industry.
These reforms are also creating jobs through the increased demand for ‘duly qualified persons’ to install and certify meters and telemetry, especially in regional NSW. They will also drive export opportunities, and competition and innovation in the water sector.
Innovation, research and development are critical to the development of long-term strategies for managing and sharing water. Advances in technology such as smart metering, remote sensing, water efficient appliances and water recycling will enable us to better understand where and how water is used, enable efficient water use and move towards a diversified portfolio of water supply solutions.
Action 7.1 Pilot new technologies to increase our water options
Actions | Horizon 1 | Horizon 2 | Horizon 3 | |
| The Government will partner with water utilities, research organisations, the private sector and communities to pilot new technologies and sources of water; for example, onsite household grey water reuse technologies. | X | X | ||
Action 7.2 Collaborate to harness new research, innovation and technology
The Government will collaborate with government, research and industry partners to harness technology for measuring, monitoring and reporting to drive the sector and system outcomes including:
Actions | Horizon 1 | Horizon 2 | Horizon 3 | |
| X | X | X | |
Action 7.3 Invest in water sector workforce and capability
The Government will:
Actions | Horizon 1 | Horizon 2 | Horizon 3 | |
| a. | develop a NSW Water and Wastewater training strategy with local water utilities to understand skills shortages and the types of initiatives required to address these | X | ||
| b. | invest in our future water workforce, including through education, training, cadet and graduate programs | X | X | |
| c. | promote the important societal contribution that water management makes through creating jobs with purpose and meaning. | X | X | |
| The new Town Water Risk Reduction Program (Action 6.3) will play a leading role in helping councils and local water utilities to improve skills and capability, and access the expertise of the wider water sector. | X | X | ||