National Needs and Capability Forum
Partnership Working Group
Record of Meeting No. 1: 06/12/12
9.30 am. National Water Commission Office
Attendees
Nominated Sectoral Representatives
Adam Lovell
CEO
Water Services Association of Australia
Alan Gregory
Theme Leader, Urban Water
CSIRO
Alexander Cooke
GM, Science Polices & Agencies
Greg Manning
Assistant Secretary, Aquatic Ecosystems
Policy Branch
James Cameron
CEO
Department of Innovation, Industry,
Science, Research & Tertiary Education
Department of Sustainability,
Environment, Water, Population &
Communities
National Water Commission
Julia Grant
Executive Director, Policy & Urban
Water
CEO
SA Dept of Environment, Water &
Natural Resources
WaterAustralia
representing the Australian Research
Water Research and Development
Coalition
Representing Universities Australia
Tom Mollenkopf
CEO
Australian Water Recycling Centre of
Excellence
Chair
International WaterCentre
Director, Innovation Partnerships Qld
Water Directorate
CEO
Tony Wong
CEO
CRC for Water Sensitive Cities
Independent Chair
Ken Matthews AO
-
-
PWG Secretariat
Greg Oliver
Manager, Sustainable Research and
Development
Australian Water Recycling Centre of
Excellence
Les Targ
Mark O'Donohue
Paul Greenfield
Rob Fearon
Representing the Qld and NSW Water
Directorates
Australian Water Association
Observers
Evelyn Rodrigues, Water Services Association of Australia
Jenny Barnes, Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population & Communities
Kerry Olsen, National Water Commission
Justin Foley, National Water Commission
Meeting Decisions and Actions
Agenda Item
2. Confirmation of Working Group
Chair
3. Review and confirmation of draft
Terms of Reference
4. Review of 2012 Forum Report
5. 2013 National Urban Water Needs
and Capability Forum
6. Review of Project Overviews
6a. Statement of National Urban water
R&D Challenges and Priorities
6b. Options for streamlining process
for planning and delivering urban
water R&D
Decision / Action / Timing
Ken Matthews was confirmed as the
independent chair up to the mid 2013
National Forum
Amend and circulate final ToR
Responsibility
-
Status of item
Completed
Ken Matthews and Greg Oliver
- Amend draft to remove Attachments 3 and
4
- Circulate to sector representatives at the
September Forum as well as other
stakeholders
Ken Matthews and Greg Oliver
Completed. Revised ToR attached to
this meeting action record
- Completed. Final Report attached to
this meeting action record.
- Letters to Forum participants and
other stakeholders to be issued by
NWC
- Draft Project Overview endorsed
- Preliminary Forum Agenda and Invitees list
to be distributed as part of Agenda for
February meeting. To be based on 2012
Forum
- Differentiation with National Urban Water
Symposium discussed and endorsed (refer
Agenda Item 6e below)
Ken Matthews and Greg Oliver
In progress
- Draft Project Overview endorsed
- Update on progress with the COAG Water
Knowledge Platform from Greg Manning
noted
- Sub-group to advance the development of a
project scope
Ken Matthews, in association with
a sub-group comprising:
James Cameron, Mark O’Donohue,
Jenny Barnes and Julia Grant
- In progress
- Draft scope and framework to be
developed by February
- Preliminary draft Project Overview endorsed
- Revisions and further definition to be
undertaken ahead of February meeting
- All PWG members invited to contribute a
short summary to the Chair on their
perceptions of impediments and practical
solutions
- Ken Matthews
- all participants
- In progress
- PWG members required to make
contribution to Chair (via the NWC) by
21 December 2012
Agenda Item
6c. National Urban water Information
and Knowledge Management
Decision / Action / Timing
- Scope of work and progress to date
presented by ANDS noted
- Draft Project Overview endorsed
- At least two additional projects to be
investigated, and if feasible, initiated
- Working Group to be established: Evelyn
Rodrigues (WSAA); Rob Fearon (Qld Water
Directorate) and AWRDC representatives
Responsibility
Cynthia Love, Australian National
Data Service
Status of item
- Two pilot projects currently in
progress
- Other projects currently under
investigation
6d. Methods for evaluating R&D
initiatives and return on investment
Draft Project Overview noted, and endorsed
in principle with amendments to be made to
reflect the following:
- project to reflect the development of good
practice guidelines to evaluate urban water
R&D
- evaluation of urban water R&D progress
more generally, not just individual projects
- prospective as well as retrospective
evaluation
- defining, accounting and evaluating
management of ‘externalities’ and
engagement processes in projects
- needs to incorporate benefits of
collaboration and partnering
- urban water customers’ perspectives need
to be incorporated into evaluation
procedures
- possible use of case studies to illustrate
evaluation processes and procedures
Christine Cussons (Smart Water
Fund) with input sought from
PWG members, as appropriate
- In progress
- Revised Project Overview to be
completed by February 2013
- First phase of project to commence by
February 2013
6e. National Urban Water Symposium
- Endorsed as a separate event to the 2013
Forum (following discussion of options)
- Focus on R&D content and networking
between the research-government-private
sectors
- Innovation and national priorities to be key
themes
- To be aimed specifically at a wider audience
than the Forum
- Options for networking via professional
development / continuing education to be
Tom Mollenkopf (AWA), with
input sought from PWG members,
particularly Paul Greenfield, Tony
Wong, Alan Gregory and
discussions with Greg Manning
(SEWPaC)
- In progress
- Draft Project Overview to be
completed by February 2013
Agenda Item
Decision / Action / Timing
investigated
- Draft project overview to be included in
Agenda papers for February meeting –
including a discussion on options and
integration with the biennial symposium
identified in the COAG Water Knowledge
Platform)
Responsibility
Status of item
6f. Opportunities for Australia’s private
sector water industry in R&D initiatives
- Les Targ’s verbal overview of the intended
project scope was noted, with the Project
Overview and Work Plan to be developed
for the February PWG Agenda
Key perspectives for this initiative are to
include (inter alia):
- Research, development and innovation
- R&D lifecycle
- Identification of barriers to the private
sector’s active and value-adding
participation
- Processes for the private sector to carry
both investment and return
Les Targ (Water Australia)
- In progress.
- Private Sector Water Forum meeting
on 13 December
- Draft Project Overview to be
completed by February 2013
7. Calendar of events and
communications from the PWG
- Meeting agreed that informal
communications regarding the PWG and its
activities could be conducted by all
members with their respective sectors
- Formal communication would be developed
by the Chair and issued through the NWC
- A Calendar of Events is to be developed,
listing opportunities to disseminate
information about the multi-sectoral
national forum process and the PWG
- In particular WSAA noted that the
Innovation Stream at OzWater 2013 (that it
is coordinating) has vacant sessions that
could potentially be utilised
Tentative meeting schedule noted as:
Meeting #2: week commencing 25 February
Meeting #3: week commencing 15 April 2013
Meeting #4: week commencing 10 June 2013
Forum #2: week commencing 24 June/1 July
Ken Matthews and Greg Oliver (re
Calendar of Events)
- In progress
- Calendar of Events to be completed by
February 2013
NWC to confirm availability for
February meeting, by 17
December
In progress
Date for Meeting #2 to be finalised by
NWC by 19 December 2012
8. Meeting Schedule
Agenda Item
9. Close
Decision / Action / Timing
Meeting closed at 3.15pm
Responsibility
Status of item