More water and sewerage pain to come

· Dorset residents now paying about $700 for water and sewerage

· This could jump to $1500 within five to seven years – more than some residents pay for rates!

· The Treasurer thinks that he is doing people a favour by increasing costs by 30% over the next few years

In Parliament today, the Treasurer reiterated his commitment to increasing water and sewerage bills every year for years to come.

If ratepayers who have received a bill already think that a 10% increase is a lot, then they should brace themselves for the massive increases the Government will roll out in future years.

I’ve been inundated with calls from people in the Dorset municipality, one of the first municipalities to receive bills. Each bill is around $700 per annum. However according to the Regulator’s figures this will sky rocket to around $1,500 per annum once full cost recovery is achieved in 5-7 years time if the Government has its way.

In some cases, people in Dorset will be paying more for water and sewerage than they will for their rates.

This increase will push many people to the wall.

Yet, even though the Treasurer seems to realise that this is the case, he is refusing to admit that the water and sewerage mayhem is hurting people and refusing to even consider a review of the changes before any more damage is done.

In fact, the Treasurer actually thinks he is doing people a favour by raising prices for the next three years by 30%.

What planet is the Treasurer on? We urgently need to review the Treasurer’s water and sewerage changes, but only a Hodgman Liberal Government will do that.
Peter Gutwein MP Shadow Treasurer