IPART has released final decisions on the prices the Water Administration Ministerial Corporation (WAMC) can charge for water management services from 1 October 2025 to 30 June 2029.
IPART Chair Carmel Donnelly said the Tribunal had considered the impacts of the proposed prices, the efficient costs of delivering services, and how costs should be allocated between water licence holders and the NSW Government.
“The Tribunal has decided that increases in prices are required to support the reliability and long-term security of water supply in rural and regional NSW. The Final Report and Determination increase prices, but not to the extent sought by WAMC.”
“We heard from customers and stakeholders that many licence holders are dealing with affordability pressures – this was the key theme in the feedback we received from the community in relation to WAMC’s pricing proposal.”
Under IPART’s decisions, WAMC’s water management component of the bill for a typical customer will increase by an annualised rate of 5% per year plus inflation, while customers on the Minimum Annual Charge (MAC) will see water management prices rise by an annualised 2.5% per year plus inflation through to 2028-29.
As the new WAMC prices commence 1 October 2025 rather than 1 July 2025, the water management component of a typical bill will increase initially by 7.5% and the MAC by 3.9%. This means that typical bills over 2025-26 will be equivalent to what they would have been if new WAMC prices had been introduced on 1 July 2025.
WAMC charges vary by water source and there will be differences in the bill increases experienced by customers across each regulated, unregulated, and groundwater source.
Ms Donnelly said the price increases are necessary so WAMC can manage the State’s critical water resources for the long-term benefit of water users.
IPART’s Final Report and WAMC’s pricing proposal are available on IPART’s website. The prices set in this review will apply to customers from 1 October 2025.
Media Contact: Hannah Short
0427 105 865