TasWater, delivering affordable customer outcomes

TasWater’s three-year Price and Service Plan for continuing to provide Tasmanians with clean and safe drinking water, sewage treatment systems which better meet environmental outcomes and secure enhanced customer service results comes into effect on Sunday 1 July.
In line with utilities around the country TasWater submits its Price and Service Plan to an independent economic regulator who assesses not only the prices we charge but in approving those prices, determines that they are justified against operational costs and the need to generate capital funds to invest in improving infrastructure.
Central to this process is the aim of keeping bills as affordable as possible.
The Price and Service Plan (2018-2021) was prepared after significant community consultation and input from key regulators.
Telephone surveys, focus groups and an issues paper where customers had the opportunity to share their thoughts were all used to gather the data to formulate the plan.
In May Tasmania’s Office of the Economic Regulator approved TasWater’s three year plan and it now comes into effect.
TasWater CEO Mike Brewster says “the Price and Service plan is much more than just setting out what our customers pay.”
“It is a blueprint, a planner and schedule of our operations into the future.”
“It identifies priorities including improving operations to achieve efficiencies, better meeting customer service expectations and our massive investment program in maintaining and building essential infrastructure.”
TasWater currently invests more per household in improving infrastructure than any other water utility in Australia and just as significantly we are doing this while maintaining some of the lowest water and sewerage prices in the country.
Over the next three years TasWater plans to spend more than $467 million in building and maintaining infrastructure across the state.
TW file number: 18/61137
“Even though the initial Price and Service Plan (2018 – 2021) approval by the economic regulator allowed a 4.6 per cent price rise, TasWater listened to customer concerns and the Board decided on a lesser 4.1 per cent instead. To enable this, TasWater will continue to focus on reducing costs through productivity improvement.”
“The recent Memorandum of Understanding between the State Government, our council owners and TasWater will help to reduce price rises even further if approved by local councils and parliament.”
”This agreement underscores the commitment of all parties to keep prices as affordable as possible,” Mr. Brewster said.
TasWater