Trust in Victorian water businesses improving despite challenging times

Victoria’s water businesses have improved their standing in the eyes of customers according to a quarterly survey conducted on behalf of the state’s water regulator.

The survey showed trust and overall satisfaction in the sector at an all-time survey high of 6.7 and 6.8 respectively out of 10 in March 2020. These are well above levels recorded a year earlier.

The commission’s director of pricing Marcus Crudden says the survey was conducted when many water businesses were still dealing with the impact of bushfires as well as the early stage of the coronavirus pandemic.

“It is pleasing to see customers increasingly satisfied with the performance of their water business, despite many of the challenges facing the sector,” he said.

Mr Crudden says the commission is now working with regulated businesses to ensure Victorians have access to essential services at this time.

“Many water corporations are rising to the challenge, providing information about support for paying bills and the kind of assistance that is available through their hardship programs,” he said.

In addition to the highest scores to date for customer trust and overall satisfaction, 11 out of 16 water businesses also got their best survey results for all four survey questions.

How water customers rate their water business

Every four months, we survey Victorian water customers to get their views on how their water business is performing. The questions focus on value for money, reputation in the community, level of trust and overall satisfaction.

Across the sector, all four indicators improved significantly compared to last year.

Quarterly survey results – average score for water sector

12-month results – average score for water sector*

*Results published on our website are presented on a four-period moving average basis to address
relatively small sample sizes for many individual water businesses.