Transcript for Grid workplace interview

[Speaker: Josh Quinn]

My name is Josh Quinn. I'm a Senior policy officer in the grid team at DEECA. I've been working in the water sector since 2016.

What do you love about working in water?

I like working in water because it's a sector that's often overlooked. Once you start doing a bit of travel and you realise that other countries aren't as fortunate as what we've got in Victoria in terms of water availability, it highlights how important water actually is to the community.

What is the grid?

The water grid is one of the Victoria's most important pieces of infrastructure. It includes dams, storages, reservoirs, as well as major pipes, pumps, and the Victorian Desalination Plant. It allows us to move water to where it's needed most in the state, which is very important in the context of climate change and the growing chance of emergencies that we're facing at the moment.

The grid is really important. It helps us make sure that you've always got water at your home, at your school, and at your sporting grounds. It also connects communities together and helps ensure the long-term security of Victoria's water supply.

What is involved in your job?

My team is responsible for looking after the long-term water security of Melbourne and connected towns. Some of the challenges we're facing at the moment is population growth and climate change. So, water security in Victoria is very tricky to manage, and we make sure that water is moved throughout the grid to make sure that it's delivered to it's needed most.

I work with professionals from a range of different disciplines. Engineers, environmental scientists, climate scientists, lawyers, town planners and councils, as well as Traditional Owners and working on ways that we can return water to Traditional Owners. One of my main projects is the Annual Water Outlook.

The outlook is a12-month forecast at the likelihood of restrictions in the state. It draws upon the experience and knowledge of rural water resource managers, environmental water resource managers, urban water utilities, and it gives the community in Victoria a chance to prepare for the next 12 months in terms of the likelihood of restrictions and whether water utilities need to make changes to their urban water strategies and water resource positions.

What technology is used across the grid?

Even though the grid is mostly underground, we have instruments and sensors. Sensors planted all over the grid and they're feeding back information to control rooms all over the state, operated by water, utilities and, and DEECA as well.

The water sector needs skills that are proficient in instruments, coding, IT, to make sure that we can always be improving our skill sets and making the grid more resilient to emergency and operate more efficiently.

Why is working in water a good choice?

I had a big interest in climate change when I left school. So, I took up a science degree at Melbourne Uni when I finished school. We studied maths, physics, science and statistics. And then after that I found a position in the water sector, which allowed me to use the analytical skills that I picked up in my university degree and apply them into what I do now, which is overseeing the Victorian Water Grid.

One of the greatest things about working in water is that you can come from TAFE, University or high school and find a career that's really rewarding. I like working in water because I have access to information that most people never even consider.

All the different work that goes into making sure that water comes outta the tap when you turn it on is actually a lot more complex than what you would think. So that gives me a great deal of satisfaction when I finish the day.