Green and sustainable chemistry must help the water sector meet its rising challenges. The Australian water sector is at a crucial turning point, facing profound challenges that necessitate fundamental shifts in how water is valued, managed, and supplied. A complex interplay of factors, including escalating climate variability, urbanisation, social equity concerns, geopolitics, and transformative digital innovation, are reshaping the landscape of water resource management, wastewater management, and its interaction with the surrounding community and environment. To guide the response Water Research Australia and its partners have created an outlook and the key challenges for research needed in the water sector which include challenges in source water, health, circular economy, digital transformation, resilience, equity, governance and economics. Water and wastewater networks are collection and distribution points for materials of value and contaminants of concern. This is both opportunity and challenge for the water sector and the principles of Green Chemistry have much to offer. In this presentation the role of green and sustainable chemistry is outlined - such as transforming waste into new feedstocks and materials of value; designing chemicals that don’t contaminate and persist in water supply and wastewater systems; safer chemicals and treatment systems for public and environmental health particularly for remote and regional communities.