Sydney Water’s regulatory framework includes matters related to the provision of an essential service, water conservation, environmental impacts and customer protections. As such this submission argues that the inclusion of public good objectives within Sydney Water’s operating licence is essential, especially with regard to water conservation and consumer protection. In this submission PIAC recommends Sydney Water develop a new target for water use consistent with the Metropolitan Water Plan, as part of the development of that Plan. Of major concern is a proposed change to the licence to allow for future charging of late payment fees. PIAC would be very disappointed to see the introduction of late fees by Sydney Water, and does not consider that the proposed exclusion of customers on payment plans is broad enough to mitigate the impact on low income households.
