Public Hearing on Essential Water’s proposed prices for water and wastewater services and WaterNSW’s proposed prices for water transportation services provided by the Murray River to Broken Hill pipeline from 1 July 2026

We are currently reviewing the maximum prices Essential Water can charge for water and wastewater services and WaterNSW can charge for water transportation services provided by the Murray River to Broken Hill pipeline.

On 28 October 2025, we published Essential Water’s and WaterNSW’s pricing proposals for prices to apply from 1 July 2026 and released an Issues Paper that summarises the key issues. We are inviting the community to provide feedback and comments on the proposal and key issues we have identified by making a submission via our website by 1 December 2025.

On Monday 24 November 2025, we held a public hearing in Broken Hill as part of our consultation process for the reviews. The public hearing provided an opportunity for the public and community to have their say on Essential Water’s and WaterNSW’s pricing proposals and respond to our Issues Paper, allowing participants to provide comments and ask questions directly to Essential Water, WaterNSW and to IPART.

The online public hearing had two sessions: 

  • Session 1 for General Discussion about WaterNSW’s proposed water prices with a presentation from WaterNSW.
  • Session 2 or General Discussion about Essential Water’s proposed water prices with presentation from Essential Water. 

There were 10 people from the public that attended this hearing (i.e. excluding IPART, Essential Water and WaterNSW-related staff). Participants raised issues including the affordability of the proposed price increases for different customers and current cost-of-living pressures, justifications around water price increases, service and performance standards, and accountability and governance. 

Agenda, presentation slides and transcript

The agenda, presentations slides and transcript can be accessed below:

Thank you to all stakeholders who participated at our public hearing

We are grateful to everyone who attended our public hearing and shared their views with the Tribunal. 

We have listened to the community’s views and will consider all feedback and comments when we make our draft decisions and recommendations for our Draft Reports, to be released in March 2026. Customers and the community will have a further opportunity to provide feedback and comments after we release our Draft Reports.