Emerging and future needs

As well as new industries beginning and our communities adapting to a changing climate and more frequent severe weather events, our population is ageing and more people are moving to Queensland.

These are just some of the pressures facing our water sector. To meet challenges ahead, we need to be ready to adjust our planning quickly to make the best of water in the future.

With the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games ahead, Queensland is already poised to become a renewable energy powerhouse with the added benefit of a record investment in new infrastructure.

Place-based planning—working closely with industry stakeholders and local communities to leverage experience and knowledge to solve problems collaboratively—will become increasingly important for businesses and governments.

Strategies and plans will need to be more flexible than ever before, while providing clarity and certainty from government for leadership and innovation to take hold.

The Queensland Government has a strong track record of investing in monitoring, science and modelling programs to underpin its decisions. This includes a long-term science partnership within government as well as innovating science and modelling tools through the Queensland Water Modelling Network.

A changing climate

Societies are confronting the realities of more intense weather extremes and climate impacts.

Innovation and technological solutions to reduce carbon pollution, use resources more efficiently, spur on effective methods for adaptation, and shore up food, energy and water security, are also priorities.

Learn more about how we manage water in a changing climate.

Our future

Future success for our sector—and for this strategy—will look like:

• the right mix of skills across all of the service delivery chain and water cycle, with industry able to attract, train and retain the right people
• better integration across all of the water cycle to enable and drive sustainability outcomes
• a positive, enduring legacy of water sustainability for the community following the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games
• greater community understanding and local participation in decisions about water resourcing, efficiency and sustainability
• increased application of smart technology, research and innovation throughout the water cycle
• meaningful dialogue built on trust and respect with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to improve cultural, social and economic outcomes, and future water management.