IPART will review the maximum prices that WaterNSW can charge to provide rural bulk water services. The prices we set in this review apply from 1 July 2025
Our decisions will aim to support the long-term security of water entitlements and reliability of water supply in regional and rural NSW
Customers should pay only what WaterNSW requires to efficiently deliver the services their customers need. Our aim is to hold WaterNSW 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 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 WaterNSW 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 WaterNSW’s price proposal on 1 November 2024. The Issues Paper will seek your feedback on WaterNSW’s price proposal.
- We will hold a public hearing for this review on 14 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 WaterNSW’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 WaterNSW’s price proposal on household budgets, service standards, the environment, and the economy more broadly.
Importantly, all stakeholders including WaterNSW’s customers, and the broader community, will have several opportunities to have their say during this price review. We welcome your feedback on WaterNSW’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.