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8 - 9 June 2022

VicWater Annual Conference Program

Although it has been a challenging two years, the water sector has continued to shine through and deliver essential services to all Victorians. This year the VicWater conference will explore the theme of ‘resilience and readiness’ highlighting the areas in which we need to progress. Together, these provide a roadmap for our sector as we navigate the disruptions with care and confidence.

We will commence our program for in-person delegates with a social hour on Tuesday evening, so you can relax and catch-up with old friends or make new connections before we kick off the official program at 8:30am Wednesday morning.

*Please note: all conference attendees are required to be fully vaccinated or hold a valid medical exemption.

Tuesday 7 June 2022

4.30pm WWDN Event

Getting rid of glass ceilings and sticky floors

The WWDN is thrilled to host Laura Fluck (AECOM Business Line Director Water - ANZ) who recently presented on the Water Sectors journey in Diversity and Leadership at OzWater '22.

This will be followed by a conversation between Kate Hughes (Director of Lower Murray Water) and Tara Daniel (Chief Operating Officer, VicWater) about their respective stories. The session will be wrapped up with Q&A.

All conference delegates are welcome to attend this free event, however please register to attend.

Register Now

4:30pm - 6:00pm in the Swanston Room, The Langham Melbourne

6.00pm Welcome Drinks

Wednesday 8 June 2022

8.00am Delegates check-in

8.30am Conference Open

8.45am Official Opening

9.00am Keynote Presention: Dr Norman Swan

10.00am Morning Tea

10.30am The Great Water Debate: Minimising Price vs Maximising Value

This session will provide a rigorous and thought-provoking discussion, as we come together to debate the idea of minimising price versus maximising value. Our customers are central to our sector, and water corporations have extended their services to respond to what customers need and what they are looking for.

This debate will interrogate the concepts of minimising price and maximising value and explore the ways in which the industry fulfils either premise. You can expect to come away with a full and balanced understanding of what we need to do to ensure the financial sustainability of the water sector while maintaining quality customer services.

Moderator: Beverley O'Connor, Journalist & Broadcaster

Speakers: Jane Doolan, Commissioner, Productivity Commission

Ron Ben-David, Professorial Fellow, Monash University

Gerard Brody, CEO, Consumer Action Law Centre

Sandy Ross, Executive Director, Financial Counselling Victoria

Duration: 75 minutes

11.45am Sponsor Address - Aptumo

12.00pm Investment Environment & Outlook

12.30pm Lunch

1.30pm Panel - Putting Our Industry at the Centre of the Circular Economy

There is no doubt that the water sector is doing great work in the circular economy space. While we are making progress, there is still much to be done. As a sector, we have the potential to be at the centre of the circular economy and this panel discussion will look at ways this can be done. Being an industry that is government-owned provides a significant opportunity for us to lead the way on this important topic.

In this session discussions will focus on how, as a group of 18 water corporations, we can unite in a shared goal of becoming leaders in the circular economy.

Facilitator: Rob Gell, Coastal Geomorphologist and former television personality

Speakers: Cheryl Batagol, former Chair EPA (Victoria)

Helen Millicer, Director, One Planet Consulting

Sarah Thomson, General Manager Strategy, Governance and Finance Goulburn Valley Water

Duration: 90 minutes

3.00pm Afternoon Tea

3.20pm Digital Water Business - What is Digitisation and are we ready for it?

Water corporations are actively seeking to improve their digital businesses and this session will discuss what we have achieved so far and what we still need to do. It will provide clarity around what a true digital business actually looks like, with a close look at Amazon Web Services as an ‘IRL’ (in real life) example.

Tony Kelly and Damian Wells will provide a unique perspective and a real life case study. When Tony was MD at Yarra Valley Water he oversaw the renewal of all their IT systems including the implementation of Oracle’s billing solution (CC&B) - which was the toughest project of his career. Now he sits on the Vendors side of the table and will provide a unique perspective that combines his utility and vendor experience, including lessons learnt and procurement advice for Utilities.

Matt Greensmith, Head of Industry - Domain Solution Architecture, AWS will talk about ‘A Culture of Innovation', which will explore Amazon’s unique approach to innovation that has remained consistent since the company first launched, starting with the customer, and working backwards.

Steve Capewell and Tony Wulff from Goulburn Valley Water will discuss how strong alignment between corporate strategy, operating model and digital architecture in a water corporation can not only drive efficiency, productivity and customer satisfaction, but unlock entirely new value propositions for communities, industry and the environment.

Following this session we will finish with a live online survey on how ready we are, as a sector, to take the next steps in becoming digital businesses. By discussing the results of the survey in the session we can finish with some key take-aways that will inform our pathway to digitisation.

Duration: 80 minutes

4.40pm Survey - How Ready are You for Digital? Preparing your Utility for Digital Twin!

Hosted by ARQ Group's Steve Avery and James Litjens

Following on from the previous session, we will explore with a live online survey on how ready we are, as a sector, to take the next steps in becoming digital businesses and preparing your organisation for Digital Twin.

By discussing the results of the survey in the session we can finish with some key take-aways that will inform our pathway to digitisation.

Duration: 15 minutes

5:00pm Sessions Close

6.30pm Annual Conference Dinner

Always a highlight, enjoy a three course dinner and drinks in The Ballroom at The Langham, Melbourne.

VicWater and WSAA are pleased to present Liv Garfield, CEO of Severn Trent Water UK as the keynote speaker at the VicWater Annual Conference Dinner.

Liv has a wealth of experience managing customer service delivery and complex infrastructure and organisations in a regulated environment. As keynote speaker, she will share her insights on the key challenges and opportunities facing the water sector in the UK, Australia and globally.

6.30pm - 7:00pm Pre-Dinner Drinks in the Foyer

7:00pm - 10:00pm Sit down Dinner in the Ballroom

Thursday 9 June 2022

8.45am Delegates check-in

9:00am Program Welcome

9.05am Director Development Program Update

9.15am Are We Ready? Preparation, Recovery & Changing Communities

This session will provide several short presentations with a facilitated panel session that will cover how we can service changing communities, how we can prepare for disasters and how we can recover from them.

Recent times have seen several 'unprecedented' disasters; from bushfires, to drought, to flooding and the pandemic. The frequency of these events suggests they are no longer unprecedented, but rather something that needs careful planning and preparation.

This session will shine a light on how we can be ready to service these changing communities in view of these events. We will talk about remaining financially resilient while maximising value for our customers and look at the ways we can be 'better together' for our customers.

Reviewing the sessions over the two days, this will be action-orientated and interactive where delegates will leave with an understanding of the key issues our sector faces, a view of how the future should look, and a set of actions we can take to plan for the readiness and resilience of our industry.

Facilitator: Tania Fryer, Director, Greater Western Water

Speakers: Damian Wells, Managing Director, Coliban Water

Pat McCafferty, Managing Director, Yarra Valley Water

Sarah Cumming, Managing Director Gippsland Water

Andrew Crisp, Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner

Jonathan Spear, CEO, Infrastructure Victoria

Session duration: 75 minutes

10.30am Morning Tea

11.00am Returning to Traditions: Managing Country for Resilience & Readiness

Water and fire are key to understanding how First Nations people connect with and manage country. Eurocentric understanding of agriculture differs from Traditional Owners’ connection with the land. Until we can truly understand what managing country means, outside our own limited definition of land management, we cannot hope to incorporate Aboriginal practices into managing water resources.

This session is designed to provide a better sense of what managing country looks like and what steps we can take to restore the practices that were broken by post-1788 settlement.

Facilitator: Patricia Karvelas, Journalist, Host of RN Breakfast

Speakers: Dr Erin O’Donnell, water law and policy specialist, Melbourne University

Paul Paton, CEO of Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations

Brendan Kennedy, Chair of Victorian Aboriginal Water Officer Network (AWON)