We require performance reporting and conduct regular audits of all licensed water utilities to ensure compliance with their licences.
Our Compliance and Enforcement Policy sets our principles of compliance and enforcement, risk-based regulatory model, compliance approach and enforcement action decision-making framework.
Public water utilities
We collect and publish annual performance information provided by Sydney Water, Hunter Water and Water NSW on water quality, system continuity and reliability, environmental performance and customer service. This ensures transparency and improves public confidence, as well as providing additional incentives to the utilities to perform to expectations and enable identification of areas for improvement.
In assessing compliance we also consider information from other regulators and complaints made to the Energy and Water Ombudsman.
More information is available in the Audit Guideline.
Customer satisfaction surveys
We conduct a customer satisfaction survey 4 times a year to understand how satisfied customers are with their water providers. We are surveying the customers of one water provider, Central Coast Council Water, this financial year. From 2019 until May 2023, we also surveyed Sydney Water and Hunter Water’s customers. Read our survey results.
Alternate water utilities
IPART also ensures regular audits of alternate water utilities that are licensed under the Water Industry Competition Act (WIC Act) minimise any risk to public health, safety and the environment.
Auditors undertaking these audits must be approved by IPART.
More information is available in the Audit Guideline and audit criteria for auditing water quality management systems.
Enforcement Action Notices
IPART may take enforcement actions in response to a non-compliance with a regulatory requirement, licence requirement or a direction from IPART.
We publish notices outlining enforcement actions in our enforcement action notice register below.
Enforcement Action Notice Register