The Essential Services Commission has received submissions outlining the prices the businesses propose to charge their customers over the five-year period starting on 1 July 2023.
Executive director of pricing and regulation, Marcus Crudden, said the water businesses were required to consult their customers when developing the pricing proposals.
“The commission’s pricing framework includes incentives for each water business to put forward its best offer and deliver the services customers value most,” Mr Crudden said.
“The submissions contain various proposals with price changes for a typical household ranging from eight per cent (Yarra Valley Water) and seven per cent below inflation (Barwon Water, GWMWater and Gippsland Water), to increases of 12 per cent (Coliban Water) and 14 per cent above inflation (South Gippsland Water) over the next five years.”
"We’re now inviting the public and other stakeholders to comment on the proposals, and this feedback will help inform our decisions on the maximum prices that businesses can charge.”
Mr Crudden said public feedback would be one of many factors considered by the commission over the next few months.
“This is an important issue and we’ll be looking at a range of factors like how businesses have engaged broadly with their communities, whether they’ve delivered on previous promises, and the prudency and efficiency of proposed expenditure,” he said.
Stakeholders, including consumers, have until 1 December 2022 to comment via the Engage Victoria website. The submissions can be viewed on the commission's website below.
A draft decision will be released for each business by early next year, and further public feedback will be invited at those times.
The final price decisions are due to be delivered in June 2023.
The review includes Barwon Water, Central Highlands Water, Coliban Water, East Gippsland Water, Gippsland Water, Goulburn Valley Water, Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water (GWMWater), Lower Murray Water, South East Water, South Gippsland Water, Southern Rural Water, Wannon Water, Westernport Water and Yarra Valley Water.
