The Justice and Equity Centre provided a submission in response to IPART’s Draft report on Hunter Water Pricing 25-30. The Draft responds to Hunter Water’s proposal for the prices it can charge customers from July 2025-June 2030 for water services. The JEC provided a detailed response to the initial proposal from Hunter Water and accompanying consultation paper from IPART.
The context for Hunter Water’s Pricing Proposal is a particularly challenging one. Consumers are experiencing prolonged cost-of-living challenges, there is planned population growth for the Hunter region, climate risks for water are increasing and Hunter Water’s infrastructure is aging and in need of renewal and replacement. These challenges are increasingly impacting water utilities across the country, not just Hunter Water.
Balancing appropriate investment and risk management with ongoing equity and affordability of water services for households over the short and long term is a key challenge considered as part of this process.
Hunter Water has demonstrated a high level of commitment and success in developing a proposal grounded in the values of the community and reflecting their express preferences. While we have identified areas of improvement, our broad support for the Draft is in large part influenced by the good work Hunter Water have exhibited.
Our submission to the Draft provides feedback on aspects of the overall framing of the Draft Report, particularly regarding affordability and the level of choice actually available to stakeholders in relation to capital expenditure decisions.
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