Victorian households will continue to have some of the lowest water bills in the country, with flat or falling water prices for the next five years.
The Essential Services Commission (ESC) today released its finalised pricing decision for 12 of the state’s 17 water corporations – building on the results for four fast-tracked decisions released last month.
What this means is that around 95 per cent of Victorians and 100 per cent of Melburnians are serviced by water corporations that are proposing stable or falling average bills.
In the metro area, the average household bill will fall by around $30 to $40 before inflation per year. That’s a saving of between $150-$200 over five years, delivering cost of living relief for families.
Since last year, Melbourne’s water bills have remained lower than Sydney (by $82), Canberra (by $133), Adelaide (by $162) and Darwin (by $743) each year.
In regional Victoria, families will also see steady or falling prices with Grampians Wimmera Mallee falling by $30, Central Highlands Water falling by $20 and Coliban Water falling by $26.
Customers of Goulburn Valley Water (Shepparton) will benefit from the largest reduction of around $90 for a typical customer over five years.
The Andrews Labor Government is delivering key infrastructure projects worth around $1.8 billion to increase water security, improve water quality and deal with growing demand.
Despite being the fastest growing state in the country, the Labor Government has worked with water corporations to keep water prices low by boosting efficiencies in their businesses.
All increases are thoroughly assessed by the ESC to ensure they are fair and tied to new services or infrastructure as the sector adapts to the challenges of population growth and increased demand.
The Labor Government has invested $690 million over the last four years to protect Victoria’s water supply and support a healthy environment, including $215 million for water and irrigation infrastructure.
This ongoing investment for water and sewerage services not only provides water security, but drives regional economic growth and provides environmental and recreational benefits – to protect communities and jobs.
The Labor Government’s investment is in stark contrast to the former Liberal Government, who set up the scandal-prone Office of Living Victoria and wasted millions of taxpayer dollars on projects that offered no benefit to our water system, while failing to invest in water infrastructure.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Water Lisa Neville
“This is great news for families right across Victoria, with prices steady or down.”
“We’ve worked with water corporations to achieve lower prices, while also delivering major projects and upgrades across Victoria.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020