Workshop: What's Bugging You?

Workshop: What's Bugging You?

SYDNEY: Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, NSW

WQRA will be holding a special workshop at Ozwater'12: 'What's Bugging you? The Emergence of Pathogen X'. It will focus on pathogens of emerging concern to Australian water suppliers, regulators and the community, and look at how science can underpin regulation and drive new practices to help ensure safe water for Australians.

The workshop will be held from 1.15pm to 3.15pm in Room 201, of the Sydney Convention Centre, Convention Centre Bayside, Level 2.

There is no pre-registration for this workshop - it will be filled on the basis of 'first in'. The numbers are limited (to under 50 attendees), so make sure that you mark it in your diary and don't delay on the day, or you may miss out on a spot!

About the workshop
It is no secret that the water industry as a whole has made one of the greatest societal contributions to public health through the management of water supplies, particularly the separation of waste streams from potable water sources. The continued provision of safe water provides challenges globally, with new threats emerging in the face of climate change, increasing urbanisation and new approaches to the supply of water.

This workshop poses a hypothetical situation to debate the state of our knowledge, and explores short- and long-term responses to emerging threats to public health. Do we really know everything there is to know about pathogens in water, or have we only just scratched the surface? Are existing management practices flexible enough to cope with new threats, or should we be adopting new approaches for management? What are the roles for government and industry in managing new threats and can existing arrangements cope with the potential variety of new threats?

This workshop is a panel-style ‘great debate’, with leading experts from industry, regulatory bodies and universities. The debate and integrated discussion will examine the emergence of a hypothetical Pathogen X in Australian drinking water and what actions could be considered (and who should take them). The panel will explore different sides of the debate.

Questions to form part of the ‘great debate’ include:

• The role of science in assessing and mitigating public health risks – forewarned is forearmed.
• The response from industry and government in managing emerging issues of concern.
• The optimum way to regulate – guidelines versus legislation.

If these and related questions are on your mind, we invite you to come along and participate in this debate, led by an internationally renowned panel. The workshop is designed to draw upon the audience to discuss and debate these important issues. Regardless of whether you have the view that the existing management structures are flexible enough to cope with whatever the future holds, or pose an alternative view on why we need to markedly change the way we do things in an ever-changing world, this workshop is for you. Please join us for this thought-provoking workshop and challenge your thinking about microbial risk assessment and the responses of industry, regulators and science.

The key outcome for this workshop is to engender discussion about mitigating emerging public health risks for the water industry as it faces an ever-changing and increasingly complex operating environment. The workshop will be facilitated by an expert chair, who will encourage a high level of audience participation and robust discussion. This workshop will be fun, informative and, most of all, provocative. You can’t afford not to be there!

Who should come?
This workshop is targeted at anyone who wants to challenge their thinking about microbial risk assessment and the responses of industry, regulators and science. It will be of particular benefit for organisational decision-makers, and those who inform strategy, policy or operational responses in this area. A general understanding of existing pathogens and pathogen management approaches will be useful, but is not an essential requirement.

Facilitator: Ms Jan Bowman, Principal, Janette Bowman Consultancy, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Panelists

• Dr Joan Rose, Homer Nowlin Chair of Water Research, Michigan State University, Michigan, USA
• Dr Mark O’Donohue, CEO, Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
• Dr David Cunliffe, Principal Water Quality Advisor, SA Health, Adelaide, SA, Australia
• Dr Martha Sinclair, Senior Research Fellow, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
• Dr Andrew Bath, Manager, Water Quality Operations, Water Corporation, Leederville, WA, Australia

For a copy of the presentation from the workshop, click here. Please note that this presentation only covers the scenario discussed, not the total workshop. For the handout provided at the workshop, click here.

For more information, go to the Ozwater'12 website.