GRAPPLING with almost $12 million in overdue bills, Southern Water has decided to get tough on people who fail to pay up.
No, they will not have their water shut off completely. Rather, their taps will be slowed to a trickle.
Southern Water chief executive Mike Paine said the company would consider a range of options if overdue bills were not paid.
Among those options are using debt collectors and supplying customers with only enough water for basic household needs.
“These debt recovery processes are no different to those that are applied by other utility services,” Mr Paine said.
Included in the $11.9 million in overdue accounts are about 3750 customers owing $1000 or more.
Technically, households cannot be disconnected from water, as can be done with electricity.
However, customers can have their water supply dramatically reduced to a trickle.
Despite being in operation since 2009, Southern Water’s billing system could not send out overdue reminder notices until a new system had begun rolling out the thousands of reminder notices last month.
The water rationing plan has been slammed by peak welfare advocacy group TasCOSS.
“In many instances, Tasmanians have accrued the debt to the company through the inadequacy of the company’s billing system,” said TasCOSS chief executive Tony Reidy.
“This debacle on the part of Southern Water, over which customers are largely not at fault, comes at a time when cost of living and affordability in Tasmania is already at a crisis point.”
Anglicare Tasmania social action and research centre manager Jo Flanagan said one family that was seeking help had $2000 in outstanding bills for essential services including electricity, water and phones.
“Their landline had been disconnected, their electricity was about to be disconnected and they had arrears owing on their water bill,” Ms Flanagan said.
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