Hunter Water bills for a typical household customer will increase by 6.9% next financial year including inflation and then by 3.8% each year plus yearly inflation in subsequent years, under a pricing determination by the NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART).
Tribunal Chair Carmel Donnelly said IPART reviewed costs and prices for water and water-related services provided by Hunter Water as part of setting maximum prices from 2025-26 to 2029-30.
"The decisions released today by the Tribunal will allow Hunter Water to make important investments to continue delivering high-quality and reliable services, without raising bills more than they need to.” Ms Donnelly said.
“The increases in maximum prices and bills are mainly driven by the efficient costs of new infrastructure, including the proposed Belmont desalination plant,” Ms Donnelly said.
Under IPART’s decisions, bills for a typical household customer receiving water and wastewater services will increase:
- In 2025-26 by $54 (or 4.4%), before we add inflation. After we add inflation, these bills will increase by around $86 (or 6.9%). This would see typical bills increasing from $1,241 in 2024-25 to $1,326 in 2025-26.
- In the subsequent 4 years, typical bills will increase on average by $53 (or 3.8%) each year, before we add inflation. This would see typical bills increasing to $1,540, plus inflation, in 2029-30.
“The Tribunal’s decision will mean the typical household bill in 2029-30 will be 5.9% lower than Hunter Water proposed at the beginning of this process," Ms Donnelly said.
“Under these prices, Hunter Water customers will continue to pay around the median of water bills when compared with other major water businesses around Australia.”
“However, we know there are some households that may be more impacted by these prices during this time of high cost of living and that is why we have also made recommendations to the NSW Government to consider temporarily increasing rebates and expanding eligibility for bill relief to a broader range of lower income households.”
Hunter Water also has hardship assistance programs for customers facing difficulties paying their bills.
“We thank all stakeholders for providing their views on Hunter Water’s prices. The feedback we received from the community was integral in informing the Tribunal’s decisions.”
IPART’s Final Report is available on IPART’s website.
The prices set in this review will apply to customers from 1 July 2025.
Media Contact: Mark O’Brien
0427 105 865