IPART will review the maximum prices that Hunter Water can charge to provide water, wastewater, stormwater, and other services. The prices we set in this review apply from 1 July 2025
We recognise that access to safe, reliable and affordable water at a fair price is critical to our communities, environment and economy
Customers should pay only what Hunter Water requires to efficiently deliver the services their customers need. Our aim is to hold Hunter Water accountable in a way that delivers good short, medium, and long-term customer outcomes.
Under the IPART Act, when reviewing water prices, we are required to consider a range of matters, including:
- the cost of providing the service
- consumer protection against abuse of monopoly power by a water utility
- the need to promote competition in the supply of the service.
- the need for greater efficiency in the supply of the service to reduce costs to consumers and taxpayers.
- appropriate rates of return on public sector assets
- the social impact of our determinations
- the need to maintain ecologically sustainable development and protect the environment.
We will conduct a thorough and transparent process to examine the costs and impacts for customers which includes consulting stakeholders. Through our price review process, we focus on protecting customer affordability, while also ensuring Hunter Water remains financially viable and able to efficiently deliver services.
We will conduct a detailed and consultative process
- Our public consultation process will commence with the release of our Issues Paper and Hunter Water’s price proposal on 1 November 2024. The Issues Paper will seek your feedback on Hunter Water’s price proposal.
- We will hold a public hearing for this review on 18 November 2024. If you wish to attend this online event, please register using the Register button above.
- We will publish a Draft Report with our draft decisions in March 2025 and will seek your feedback on this report before publishing our Final Report with our final decisions in June 2025.
We will closely review Hunter Water’s price proposal to determine whether it promotes value for money, is in the interests of customers, and delivers the outcomes customers need and want. We do this by thoroughly examining the costs and carefully considering impacts of Hunter Water’s price proposal on household budgets, service standards, the environment, and the economy more broadly.
In addition to this process and our legislative responsibilities, the NSW Government has requested this review include consideration of the following factors when setting prices.
- The cost-of-living impacts of Hunter Water’s prices.
- The effectiveness of existing rebates to manage the social impacts of Hunter Water prices
- Opportunities to adjust project timelines to minimise price impacts and, if necessary, to reduce the proposed capital programs in line with least cost planning principles,
- Deliverability of the proposed capital plans based on capability and market conditions.
Importantly, all stakeholders including Hunter Water’s customers, and the broader community, will have several opportunities to have their say during this price review. We welcome your feedback on Hunter Water’s price proposal and will consider any comments received via the feedback form, submissions or at the public hearing.
The following links provide more information on how we review and determine water prices and about the water businesses that we regulate.