Australian Water Management Review Vol 2 2013 | Page 11

the Queensland and NSW conferences now attract more than 100 companies as exhibitors annually with total attendees numbering around 800. WIOA has developed an excellent reputation from the success of the three conferences, but there are many other areas in which the Association is active which may not be as obvious to water industry people. A number of periodic publications are produced for members and the broader industry sourcing articles with an operational flavour to inform readers on the management of workplace related issues. These publications include the twice yearly technical journal – WaterWorks which is distributed with AWA’s “Water” journal. A series of practical guide books covering water treatment processes from the catchment to the customer tap has been developed and has received wide acclaim as an excellent resource. To complement the books, WIOA has developed a range of technical seminars to further expand on the information and a wastewater treatment series is now under development as well. Additionally, WIOA has developed a training program covering the principles of water and wastewater treatment which has been delivered for the benefit of operators from indigenous communities in remote Queensland.

WIOA has developed a comprehensive website containing copies of past conference papers and other useful technical information supplied by members. There are also sections on operator training, a free job advertisement section and a comprehensive listing of products and services available through WIOA’s many Corporate members. A range of awards and incentives are made available to members on both a State based and national basis with each designed to encourage participation, information sharing and the professional development of the individuals involved. Some of these awards such as the Operator of the Year award in Victoria and the Best Operator Paper Award in Queensland which started at the WITA event, have a history dating back to the 1980’s. WIOA has contributed to the community and been actively involved in fundraising with more than $55,000 donated to charity from a variety of activities including golf and bowls days and raffles at conferences. The impact and success of the national expansion becomes obvious when we fast forward to 2013. The Association now has over 2000 members, 4.5FTE staff members including an army of volunteers

in each State, an advisory Committee in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania, and an annual turnover in excess of $1.5M. WIOA works co-operatively with a number of other industry Associations and bodies within Australia and has built a strong relationship with our counterparts from the Water Industry Operations Group in New Zealand. Each year, WIOA and WIOG offer reciprocal tours inspecting a range of water and wastewater systems. The attendees and their employers derive many benefits as a result of participating in the tours and long lasting networks are developed. In recent times, WIOA has played an important role in the water industry by bringing operational issues to the table and ensuring that the voice of the operator is heard. Through our involvement in a range of national committees, forums and working groups such as Government Skills Australia’s - Water Industry Advisory Committee (WIAC) and the Water Industry Skills Taskforce (WIST), we have been able to increase the awareness of operational issues in our industry which are sometimes not obvious to all. In response to a perceived public health risk, WIOA is particularly proud of our work in the development and implementation of the operator certification scheme in Victoria with the first four operators certified in December 2012 and many more signing on now. This scheme sets the minimum competency and experience standards and ensures that operators keep their skills current through ongoing training and development. We look forward to working with other organisations to see this type of scheme implemented on a national basis. The AWWOA, and later WIOA, have included a dedicated group of operational people whose personal development through planning and executing WIOA events and through the establishment and review of WIOA’s policy framework has contributed greatly to their personal growth and value to their respective employers. From our humble beginnings, we have achieved a lot in our 40 years and there is much more to do yet. We look forward to the next 40 years of WIOA and trust that the Association will continue to build on the great cornerstone provided by our forefathers.
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Conference delegate demographics from NSW and Queensland in 2013