Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers

Our Local Government and Water Queensland teams recently travelled to Gununa / Mornington Island with colleagues from Queensland Health and the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation to meet with the community and share updates on the Mornington Island Water Supply Project. Community members heard directly from the project’s engineers, who outlined how the planned upgrades will enhance the reliability and safety of the island’s water supply and strengthen long-term water security for the region. While on the island, the team also had the opportunity to discuss key water health facts and the importance of using water wisely with locals.  Partnerships across all levels of government, combined with community engagement and water education, are helping deliver lasting benefits for the Mornington Island community now and into the future. To learn more about the Mornington Island Water Supply Project, visit: https://lnkd.in/gZixsmgx Mornington Island Water Supply Project is being delivered in partnership by the Australian Government through the #NationalWaterGrid, Queensland Government and the Mornington Shire Council.

Shout out to our Water Engagement Forum members who contributed their time and expertise to our department this week! The Forum regularly brings together key stakeholders from across the water sector to review policy, have input into strategy and consider challenges, opportunities and priorities for the state’s water resources alongside our department teams. On the agenda this time, Forum members participated in a workshop to help inform the development of Queensland’s Water Security Plan. They also heard updates from our teams about key initiatives including the Unlocking Water Project, the 2025 Surat Underground Water Impact Report, and water markets. The Forum is an important opportunity for our teams to engage with and hear from the sector on our work, so that we can achieve better water outcomes for everyone. Thanks to members for their support! 👏

The weather doesn’t plan, but you can and Lockyer Valley Regional Council is helping motorists be better prepared! 🌧️ Lockyer Valley Regional Council has added a new flood monitoring camera on Gatton-Esk Road at Adare, increasing the region’s flood camera network to a total of 16 ahead of the summer wet season. The project received funding through the South East Queensland Community Stimulus Program, which helps councils deliver practical infrastructure to meet the needs of their communities. The cameras provide real-time flood level updates every 15 minutes, and play an important role in helping motorists make safer travel decisions and avoid driving through floodwater. During Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, the region’s flood cameras were viewed more than 200,000 times! By improving community awareness and building on resources like these flood cameras, councils are helping ensure Queenslanders are better prepared to handle and recover from disasters. Live in the Lockyer Valley region? You can check flood cameras via your Local Disaster Management Dashboard https://lnkd.in/gthRtN9U

Happy International Volunteer Managers Day! 🌟 Today, we’re celebrating the vital work of those enabling safe and effective volunteering across our state – volunteer managers! Meet one of Queensland’s own, Michelle Stook, who’s helping shape the future of volunteering with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) at the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation. In her role with QPWS, Michelle works to harness the passion and commitment of people volunteering in an effort to protect and restore Queensland’s natural landscapes. She works daily to strengthen and streamline QPWS state-wide volunteer programs and make sure systems, policies, and practices meet the needs of today’s volunteers. Michelle is excited to be rolling out a new volunteer management system, Better Impact – a digital volunteer platform that will transform the way QPWS connects with and supports its volunteers when made available in 2026. Best of all, it will make it easier than ever for people to get involved, stay engaged, and make a difference. For Michelle, there’s nothing more powerful than people coming together to give back. Her advice to anyone wanting to volunteer is: "Go in with an open mind and heart. There are so many meaningful ways to contribute, and you never know where volunteering might take you. My favourite motto is: life begins when you’re comfortably uncomfortable. That’s where the magic of volunteering truly begins." To Michelle and all the volunteer managers out there – thank you for creating safe, inclusive, and inspiring opportunities for people to connect and give back. Your work makes Queensland a better place for everyone. 💛

What a week at #LGAQ2025! Our department joined Queensland’s 77 councils as well as industry representatives from across the state at the LGAQ Conference on the Gold Coast this week. It was an important opportunity for the sector to come together, discuss opportunities, challenges and solutions, and take home insights that will help shape the future of their communities. Big thanks to Local Government Association of Queensland for hosting. 👏

It’s the most water-ful time of the year – #NationalWaterWeek! 💧 This year’s theme is ‘Bring Water into Focus’ and we’ll be doing just that throughout this week on Water Queensland to highlight some of the ways water helps our communities thrive here in Queensland, what our department and partners do to support its sustainable management and how you can help. Whether you’re irrigating crops, out and about across our great state, or simply taking a shower – water keeps our lives and livelihoods afloat every day. Follow Water Queensland this week to learn more!

This week, our team attended the 2025 Annual Conference of River Improvement Trusts in Brisbane. 🏞️The event brought together trust members and key stakeholders from around the state for two days of networking, knowledge-sharing, and collaboration. This year’s theme of Innovation, Partnerships and Valuing Natural Assets addressed the growing challenge of increasing costs and the rising intensity and frequency of weather events. The focus was on finding efficiencies to stretch funding while continuing to deliver critical flood prevention, recovery, and river system protection and improvement initiatives for Queensland communities. Guest speakers included Dr Goslik Schepers, CEO of Eco-Markets Australia, Mr Dave Waters, Natural Capital Lead at Truii, and Matt Bradbury, Director of Clear Ridge Consulting. The conference provided a platform for attendees to hear from experts, workshop innovative ideas and share learnings, and foster collaboration to enhance the trusts’ critical work in protecting Queensland’s waterways and communities. We look forward to next year!

Prepared communities are resilient communities! Despite our frequent storms and floods, only 1 in 5 Queenslanders has a written emergency plan. Queensland Reconstruction Authority’s Get Ready campaign reminds us “Weather doesn’t plan, but you can.” As local government, water, volunteer and industry professionals, we all play an important role in disaster preparedness, management and recovery. By sharing resources and leading by example, we can help ensure our communities are better prepared to handle and recover from disasters. 🔹 Share the Get Ready Queensland message within your teams and networks. 🔹 Encourage everyone to complete their own emergency plans. 🔹 Build preparedness into your business continuity and community engagement strategies. Get Ready Queensland has an easy-to-use, online emergency planning tool to help all Queenslanders be better prepared this storm season at https://lnkd.in/gTSrznUD. #WeatherDoesntPlan #MakeAPlan #GetReadyQueensland

Today marks the first day on the job for our new Director-General Bronwyn Blagoev! 🏢🎉 We're thrilled to welcome Bronwyn aboard – a familiar face, as an alumnus of our Local Government team, and the start of an exciting new chapter for our department. A big thanks to our Deputy Director-General Josh Hannan for his steady leadership acting as interim Director-General. We look forward to continuing our department’s important work for Queenslanders with Bronwyn at the helm.

What a great day of pride and community! 🌈 On Saturday, Jarrod Cowley-Grimmond, Executive Champion for LGBTQ+ and Hattie Backstrom, LGBTIQ+ Chair, led a group of our team members to proudly join the Brisbane Pride Rally & March, walking from Queens Gardens to Musgrave Park. The event began with a Welcome to Country from Aunty Dawn Daylight and continued with inspiring speeches about strength, respect, and equality. This year also marks 35 years of the Brisbane Pride Festival, an incredible milestone celebrating the resilience and joy of LGBTIQ+ communities. It was fantastic to see such a large turnout. Participating in events like this reflects our department’s commitment to inclusion and to building safe, connected communities for everyone.