CONFERENCE THEME

Future-Ready: Innovation, Optimism and Opportunity

This year’s conference theme encapsulates the spirit of transformation and resilience in the water industry, highlighting the importance of innovative solutions, forward-thinking strategies, and a positive outlook in addressing today’s challenges and unlocking tomorrow’s opportunities.

With a focus on technological advancements, customer engagement, environmental practices and collaborative partnerships, the conference serves as a platform to explore groundbreaking ideas and inspire action towards a future where water services are sustainable, equitable and community focused to support healthy ecosystems worldwide.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Tuesday 9 September

Further information will become available closer to the event.

Delegates are invited to celebrate the start of the conference in the Park Lounge, at the Park Hyatt, Melbourne.

It’s a chance to catch up with peers, make new connections, grab a drink and light bite, before the full program commences the next day.

Wednesday 10 September

Conference Day 1 Program
8:30am Registration, Lower Lobby
9am to 5pm: Conference, The Ballroom, The Park Hyatt, Melbourne

Annual Conference Dinner
6.30pm: Pre-Dinner Drinks, Lower Lobby
7pm: Sit down Dinner, The Ballroom, The Park Hyatt, Melbourne

Thursday 11 September

Conference Day 2 Program
8:45 am to 1pm: The Ballroom, The Park Hyatt, Melbourne
1pm to 2pm: Closing Lunch, Lower Lobby

Day 1 Program

Wednesday 10 September

Come visit the friendly VicWater Registration to collect your name lanyard, then grab a cuppa, network with other delegates and check out our sponsor trade displays.

Jo Lim, VicWater CEO will provide a brief welcome and housekeeping before our official ‘Welcome to Country’ commences.

The Welcome to Country will be provided by a representative from the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.

The VicWater Conference will be hosted on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung peoples, as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land. We pay our deepest respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

Therese Tierney, VicWater Chair will provide the Official Welcome and give context to the conference program’s theme – Future-Ready: Innovation, Optimism, and Opportunity.

Will Sarni is a globally recognised leader in water strategy, technology innovation and technology investing.

Join us for Morning Tea in the Ballroom Foyer

Maintaining good regulatory outcomes in an increasingly challenging economy. How do we balance health, environment and customer?

The Victorian water sector’s key regulators: the Essential Services Commission, the Environment Protection Authority and Department of Health join to discuss their respective regulatory postures and visions for delivering a comprehensive regulatory framework for Victoria’s water sector.

Panellists

  • Lara Olsen, Managing Director, South East Water
  • Tim Mileham, Director Infrastructure, Victorian Planning Authority, Department of Transport and Planning
  • Lisa Kinross, Chief Executive Officer, Civil Contractors Federation (CCF) Victoria

In September 2023 the Victorian Government announced a plan to build 800,000 homes over the next decade to improve the supply of affordable houses. As part of this, a commitment was made to speed up water connections in greenfield areas to get Victorians into their new homes faster, working in collaboration with local government and developers.

This panel will bring together representatives from state government, the civil construction sector and the water sector to discuss how we can be more innovative and collaborative in delivering the critical infrastructure needed to support population growth, as well as providing enhanced outcomes for customers, community and the environment.

Join us for Lunch in the Ballroom Foyer

Phin Zeibell, Head of Research, TCV

Facilitated by Jodie Bricout, Design Director Circular Economy, Aurecon

We’re taking ‘better together’ to the next level in this interactive session led by circular advocate Jodie Bricout. At its core, circular economy is about designing out waste from systems. Wastes materials yes – but also wasted carbon, wasted infrastructure, wasted potential.

Once we’ve taken stock on how far industry and government have shifted on the circular economy since we last tacked this topic three years ago, we will be working at our tables on where our industry should focus next.

Join us for Afternoon Tea in the Ballroom Foyer

This session will be hosted by Jason Cotton, Program Director, IWN

In-Stream is an exciting new initiative launched earlier this year under the Intelligent Water Networks (IWN) banner. It is a 12-month cycle of co-creation and collaboration between the public, private, research and tertiary sectors to actively generate real, fit-for-purpose solutions to the opportunities and challenges facing the Victorian water industry. In this session, our In-Stream ‘Pioneer Plus’ sponsors NCS/AWS and Salesforce will provide an update on progress.

Conference sessions conclude for Day 1

Join us for the Annual Conference Dinner in the Park Hyatt Ballroom.

Enjoy pre dinner drinks and a sit down 3 course meal as you have a chance to catch up with old friends and make new connections to expand your network.

Day 2 Program

Thursday 11 September

Jo Lim, VicWater CEO returns to MC Day Two of the Conference.

Milo Wilkinson is an international award winning Behavioural Scientist who specialises in analysing human behaviour in order to predict likely outcomes.

Join us for Morning Tea in the Ballroom Foyer.

Panellists

  • Catherine Wolthuizen, EWOV Ombudsman
  • Danny Gorog, Founder and CEO, Snap Send Solve
  • Adele Rohde, Executive Manager Customer and Employee Experience, GWMWater

Innovative technologies provide opportunities to enhance customer experience in the water sector through smarter interactions, data-driven insights, more streamlined processes and real-time monitoring.

How do we ensure we make the best use of new technologies to understand and meet customer needs and expectations in this rapidly evolving climate?

This session explores the balance between innovation and human needs as a key to maintaining customer satisfaction and trust in the water sector.

Presented by Steve Capewell, Managing Director, Goulburn Valley Water

It has been estimated that more than 100 cities across the world will be using purified recycled water (PRW) as part of their drinking water supply over the next 25 years, with the number of people consuming it expected to double.  These recent findings from WSAA* come as a number of Australian cities and towns are currently exploring future water sources in the face of a growing population, variable rainfall brought about by a changing climate, and the comparative cost of other manufactured water sources such as desalination.

This presentation will share key learnings from the successful Beenyup groundwater replenishment project in Perth, particularly as they relate to understanding and influencing community and regulatory attitudes and perceptions of PRW.  With further insights from the current Sydney Water PRW trial, the discussion concludes with a set of contemporary ‘Must Have’ attributes for embarking on PRW projects in Australia in the near future.

Cybersecurity sessions often have a ‘doom and gloom’ focus on threats, vulnerabilities, risks and regulatory compliance. This panel discussion will approach the subject from a different angle, exploring how organisations can treat cybersecurity as a positive opportunity, through smarter use of technology, best practice governance, and new ways of thinking and working.

Therese Tierney, VicWater Chair, and Jo Lim, VicWater CEO host the interactive wrap up session to assist in consolidating the key take-aways from the conference program, including reflections from the Emerging Leaders, who have attended the conference for the first time.

Conference sessions conclude for Day 2.

Join us for a stand up lunch in the Ballroom foyer before departing the 2025 Annual Conference.

SPEAKERS

DAY 1 KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Will Sarni
DAY 2 KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Milo Wilkinson
Therese Tierney
Chair, VicWater
Jo Lim
Jo Lim
CEO, VicWater
Phin Ziebell
Head of Research, TCV
Rebecca Billings
Commissioner, ESC
Jason Cotton
Program Director
Intelligent Water Networks (IWN)
Catherine Wolthuizen
Ombudsman and Chief Executive
Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria
Steve Capewell
Managing Director
Goulburn Valley Water
Lara Olsen
Managing Director
South East Water
Danny Gorog
Founder and CEO
Snap Send Solve
Kaustubh Vazalwar
Director
RSM
Adele Rohde
Executive Manager Customer and Employee Experience
GWMWater
Tim Mileham
Director Infrastructure – Victorian Planning Authority
Department of Transport and Planning

Full Speaker List to be confirmed.

VENUE

The Park Hyatt Melbourne – 1 Parliament Square, off, Parliament Pl, Melbourne VIC 3002

Our brilliant venue is The Park Hyatt, Melbourne. Located in the heart of the city yet a world away, the Park Hyatt Melbourne’s central location overlooking St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Fitzroy Gardens is just moments from Melbourne’s premier shopping, business and entertainment districts.

Attendees will enjoy morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea each day, plus a ticket to attend the Annual Conference Dinner on Wednesday evening.

For those arriving on Tuesday evening, we invite you to join us for a welcome drink in the Park Lounge from 6pm.

ACCOMMODATION

Located in the heart of the city yet a world away, Park Hyatt Melbourne offers the city’s largest 245 guestrooms and suites overlooking St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Fitzroy Gardens and is just moments from Melbourne’s premier shopping, business and entertainment districts.

VicWater has reserved a small number of rooms at a special rate, for those seeking the convenience of accommodation at the Conference venue.

All rooms include a full buffet breakfast, and in-room complimentary wifi. Onsite parking is additional.

Payment is to be made directly to the hotel for your accommodation only. Please note rooms are subject to availability.

Book early to secure our special discount.

CONFERENCE FAQ

VicWater Members include all staff and board directors from the 18 Victorian water authorities and Associate Members.

Please contact us if you require further details.

Please note parking and accommodation are not included in your Conference ticket.

No, parking and accommodation are not included in the Conference tickets.

For delegates staying at The Park Hyatt, parking is additional to your accommodation.

While VicWater and The Park Hyatt will try our best to accommodate special dietary requirements, we can only accommodate requests if notified prior to the event.

Please ensure you complete this item during registration.

Cancellation Policy

If you are unable to attend the Conference, you have the following options:

  1. You may transfer your in-person ticket to another board or staff member from your organisation to attend in your place. Please contact us to arrange a ticket transfer if required.
  2. You may cancel your ticket and receive a 100% refund. This may be done no later than Friday 29 August 2025 (12 days prior). After this date we can only issue a refund in accordance with the Extenuating Circumstances conditions outlined below.

Extenuating circumstances

Where extenuating circumstances apply, VicWater will reasonably consider a request for a cancellation outside the cut-off times specified above. The request must be in writing and must outline the relevant extenuating circumstances.

‘Extenuating circumstances’ include if you or a close family member have a serious illness or injury, or if you have other compelling personal reasons.

Where VicWater consents to a cancellation in extenuating circumstances, a partial refund of $1,100* will apply:

*Based on third-party venue, catering and technical costs that VicWater has already incurred and is unable to recover at the time of the request.

This event will be recorded and available to watch on replay.

Participants participating in Q&A and/or workshops understand and agree that any comments or activities including photography, film, quotes, and/or recordings during this event may be used in VicWater publications and promotional materials.

TICKET DETAILS

Don’t miss your chance to be part of our premier event. Tailored exclusively to senior management and board directors, the VicWater Annual Conference aims to challenge and provoke the issues that matter and shape the Victorian water industry.

Secure your place now!

Conference Ticket Includes:

  • WWDN Event and Welcome Drinks (Tuesday Afternoon)
  • 2-Day Program (Wednesday & Thursday)
  • Annual Conference Dinner (Wednesday Night)
  • Access to the full Program Replay
VicWater Members:  $1,900 +GST
Non-Members: $2,200 +GST
Ticket sales close 29 August 2025

If you are unable to attend the Conference, you have the following options:

  1. You may transfer your in-person ticket to another board or staff member from your organisation to attend in your place. Please contact us to arrange a ticket transfer if required.
  2. You may cancel your ticket and receive a 100% refund. This may be done no later than Friday 29 August 2025 (12 days prior). After this date we can only issue a refund in accordance with the Extenuating Circumstances conditions outlined below.

Extenuating circumstances

Where extenuating circumstances apply, VicWater will reasonably consider a request for a cancellation outside the cut-off times specified above. The request must be in writing and must outline the relevant extenuating circumstances.

‘Extenuating circumstances’ include if you or a close family member have a serious illness or injury, or if you have other compelling personal reasons.

Where VicWater consents to a cancellation in extenuating circumstances, a partial refund of $1,100* will apply:

*Based on third-party venue, catering and technical costs that VicWater has already incurred and is unable to recover at the time of the request.

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