WaterNSW encourages customers to have their say as part of the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal’s (IPART) public consultation process on the 2025-2030 pricing proposal. To make a submission or register to attend an IPART public hearing, visit IPART’s website.

IPART considers:

• have we been efficient in planning and costing?
• customer affordability and price impacts
• are customer outcomes reflected in our plans?

WaterNSW will be submitting its Proposal for customer prices for the period 2025-2030 to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) in September 2024. WaterNSW needs to make strategic and financial investments over this five-year period. This is so we can continue to deliver on our vision and our core business - to support the resilience of NSW communities and provide the right level of water services to our customers.

We will submit one pricing proposal that includes separate price assessments for each regulated river valley in NSW, Greater Sydney, and another pricing proposal for the Water Administration Ministerial Corporation (WAMC), where some functions are carried out by WaterNSW.

Throughout 2023-24 we have been asking our customers and stakeholders to tell us which WaterNSW services and business areas should be prioritised, to ensure that we respond to the challenges you face when it comes to water. Our formal engagement with the Water Working Groups and the Customer Advisory Groups has now concluded.

The Water Working Group 2025-2030 Final Report of the Process documents the consultation conducted over five sessions with the four regional groups. This report was endorsed by participants at the last round as a fair documentation of the process. Our sincere thanks to everyone who participated and gave so generously to the process.

There will be a follow up online webinar in October for interested Water Working Group participants to update you on our submission. We look forward to sharing the results of our engagement with you in our Customer and Community Final Engagement Report and Phase 3 Report shortly.

We have spoken to, and received feedback from, a range of stakeholders and customer groups including:

• Regulated, unregulated and groundwater customers
• Government agencies
• Recreational water users and community members
• Industry group members
• First Nations and environmental stakeholders
• Community members
• Environmental stakeholders

We are now in the final phase - Phase 3 - of our Pricing Engagement for 2025- 2030.

We have finished our last round Water Working Groups and have concluded Pricing engagement with our Customer Advisory Groups.

WaterNSW would like to extend a sincere thank you to all the customers and stakeholders who took part in the engagement for our 2025-2030 Pricing Proposal.

To everyone who has participated and that we have met along the way, your active engagement and contributions have enabled us to achieve meaningful outcomes for all WaterNSW’s stakeholders in this final proposal.

Since beginning the Pricing Proposal 2025-2030 engagement we have completed the following:

Read our Engagement reports via the links on our timeline on the top right of the page.

Each year we engage and listen to our customers through a range of channels. For example, we:

• hold regular meetings with our Customer Advisory Groups (CAGs) for each major valley across NSW
• conduct annual customer surveys
• offer regular meetings with our Water User Groups and larger customers.

We also speak to stakeholders through:

• consultation on major projects
• community forums and events
• communication during events e.g. flooding and drought
• organised dam tours and other engagement.

In our Pricing engagement customers and stakeholders identified their top priorities for us:

1. WaterNSW will maintain downward pressure on costs to support customer affordability
2. WaterNSW will provide secure and reliable water delivery
3. WaterNSW will be open and transparent (about customer charges and WNSW expenditure)
4. Sustainable water and land management
5. WaterNSW will provide customer and community access to data and information
6. WaterNSW will provide good customer experiences (enabling our customers to run their businesses)

These priorities emerged from our face-to-face meetings with CAG’s, at field days, annual general meetings, Water Working Groups and from our online survey, which achieved over 900 responses.

What’s next?

Our face-to-face engagement has largely been completed and our final report will be released soon before we submit to IPART on September 30, 2024.

Once IPART has received all submissions there is further opportunity for your input.
In their process, IPART will:

1. Release an issues paper on the proposal - feedback from the wider community and customers is invited.
2. Consider whether we have been efficient in planning and costing.
3. Decide the cost shares between water users and the NSW Government.
4. Consider the customer and price impacts.
5. Make a draft determination of price for customers in each valley.
6. Invite feedback on the draft prices and hold a public meeting.
7. Make its final determination of prices and explain its reasoning.

As we prepare our proposal for customer prices for the period 2025-2030 to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) due in September 2024 we are engaging with customers, the community and our stakeholders to find out what matters to them.

Phase 1

Check-in, listen and discover

In Phase 1 of our engagement we asked for big picture thinking to learn what matters to our customers, community and stakeholders.

Engagement schedule:

• 12 – 13 May: Riverina Field Days
• 7 - 8 July: Mudgee Small Farm Field Days
• 10 – 12 July: First Nations Roadshows in Broken Hill, Wilcannia and Menindee
• July – August: Customer Advisory Group meetings
• 7 – 11 August: First Nations Roadshows in Dubbo, Lake Cargelligo, Tamworth and Walgett
• 8 August: Virtual NSW Irrigators Council update meeting
• 10 – 11 August: Australian Rice Growers Conference
• 14 August: Namoi Valley Water AGM
• 21 – 25 August: First Nations Roadshow in Wagga Wagga, Moama and Nowra
• 22 – 24 August: AgQuip Field Day in Gunnedah
• 19 – 21 September: Henty Machinery Field Day in Henty
• 21 September: Yanco Creek and Tributaries Advisory Council Inc. Annual General Meeting

Phase 2

Customers and communities to deliberate on their priorities

In Phase 2 our Water Working Groups met 3 times over the 3 month period (beginning in September 2023 and ending in November 2023).

The Water Working Groups are made up of representatives from water user groups, customers and community members to explore a range of preferences for water planning and delivery.

Engagement schedule:

• September 2023: Round 1 water group meetings
• October 2023: Round 2 water group meetings
• November 2023: Round 3 water group meetings
• February 2024: Round 4 water group meetings
• March 2024: Round 5 water group meetings

Read our Customer and Community Engagement Report – Phase 2 Outcomes.

Phase 3

Confirm and finalise

During Phase 3 our regular Customer Advisory Group (CAG) meetings that have occurred or are scheduled as follows:

• February and March 2024
• July and August 2024.

In this period we will report back the outcomes to customer and community groups and deliberate on price and affordability. A scorecard was be co-developed with industry experts.

Our final report is set to be released soon.

WaterNSW’s submission to IPART is set to be submitted on 30 September 2024.

Submission

Submit Pricing Proposal to IPART

WaterNSW Pricing Proposal 2025-2030 will be submitted on 30 September 2024, informed by our engagement journey.

Closing the loop with customers and stakeholders, confirming outcomes and obtaining further feedback for future engagement.