s. 1.1 – About the Residential Customer Charter:

This Residential Customer Charter outlines the rights and obligations between GWW (us) and the residential customers we serve (you). It provides information on the services we deliver between 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2028 and the standards that apply to those services.

This Residential Customer Charter should be interpreted consistently with the Water Industry Standard, which we are required to comply with.

s. 8.2 – Billing cycle, content, presentation and history:

A typical residential customer will be billed for their water consumption based on actual (or estimated) meter reads a minimum of once every three months. If your property is part of a large owners corporation that collectively consumes in excess of 5,000 kL per quarter, you may get a monthly bill.

Our regulator, the Essential Services Commission, may approve alternative billing cycles (i.e. other than quarterly) under cl 6.1 of the Water Industry Standard. On 31 October 2025, the Essential Services Commission approved alternate billing arrangements for our customers in relation to charges for the usage period 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2026. See Appendix C, which explains the billing arrangements for the usage period 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2026.

s. 8.4 – Payment

Most Customers will receive a quarterly bill and have 14 days from the date the bill is issued to make the payment, unless an approval is granted by the Essential Services Commission, or otherwise agreed to with the customer consistent with cl. 6.1 of the Water Industry Standard.

s. 12.1 – Undercharging or overcharging – adjusting bills:

If you are undercharged:

• any identified undercharging over the past four months will be recovered in full
• any identified undercharging prior to the past four months, that is not a consequence of illegal use of water, will be forgiven
• depending upon your preference, we will either:
• issue you a new (replacement) bill
• incorporate on your bill a separately identified adjustment
• you are able to pay the amount to be recovered in instalments over four months
• you are able to pay the amount to be recovered through a flexible payment plan in accordance with our payment methods
• you will not be charged interest on the uncharged amounts.

For amounts that were undercharged as a result of billing delays for the usage period 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2026, see Appendix C, which explains the billing arrangements for that period.

Appendix C – Enforceable Undertaking

On 31 October 2025, the Essential Services Commission approved alternate billing arrangements for our customers in relation to charges for the usage period 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2026 (Approval). The Essential Services Commission also accepted an enforceable undertaking (Undertaking) from GWW which requires GWW to meet certain obligations in relation to consumer redress, notification of customers and improvements in relation to compliance with the Water Industry Standard. The decision is public and is available on the Essential Services Commission’s website.

Below is a summary of the Approval and the Undertaking and should be read consistently with them and the requirements under the Water Industry Standard.

The Undertaking requires Greater Western Water to remediate residential and small business customers by:

• writing off any 2024 charges where no bill was issued to a customer before 1 September 2025
• giving an $80 credit to customers who received a bill for 2024 charges that were delayed by more than seven months
• giving credits of between $80 and $240 to customers who receive a delayed bill for usage charges from January 2025 to June 2026, based on the length of the delay
• giving an $80 credit to customers affected by the suspension of its ‘direct debit in full’ payment option.

The Approval provides an exception to GWW to bill on a quarterly basis for a time limited period.

After 30 June 2026 the usual requirements under the Water Industry Standard will apply.

The exception granted in the Approval allows GWW to bill outside a quarterly cycle for:

• bills issued before 1 September 2025 for charges in 2024
• bills from January to March 2025, provided the bills are issued within 12 months of the usage period, and the bill allows the customer to pay in installments or flexible payment plans
• bills from April 2025 to June 2026, provided the bills are issued within 12 months of the usage period, customers can access installments or flexible payment plans, customers are notified in accordance with the requirements in the undertaking, the bills clearly state amounts owing from previous quarters as a separate item.

The notification requirements in the Undertaking provide that for small businesses and residential customers:

• GWW will within 4 months of the end of the quarter to be billed, notify the customer of the delay in issuing their bill;
• include in that notification an estimated amount (based on typical residential and small business customer quarterly bills), which must state clearly that it need not be paid until the amount of the usage is confirmed
• upon the later issue of a confirmed bill, offer a payment plan to assist the customer to pay the confirmed amount, and inform the customer of the steps the customer needs to take to access the payment plan; and
• inform the customer of their right to complain to EWOV and provide contact details for EWOV.

s.1.1 – About the Business & Non-residential Customer Charter

The business and non-residential customer charter should be interpreted consistently with the Water Industry Standard, which we are required to comply with.

s. 7.2 Billing cycle, content, presentation and history

Our regulator, the Essential Services Commission, may approve alternative billing cycles (i.e. other than quarterly) under cl 6.1 of the Water Industry Standard. On 31 October 2025, the Essential Services Commission approved alternate billing arrangements for our customers in relation to charges for the usage period 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2026. See Appendix C, which explains the billing arrangements for the usage period 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2026.

s.7.4 Payment

Most Customers will receive a quarterly bill and have 14 days from the date the bill is issued to make the payment, unless an approval is granted by the Essential Services Commission, or otherwise agreed to with the customer consistent with cl. 6.1 of the Water Industry Standard.

Appendix C – for the Non-residential and business customer charter

On 31 October 2025, the Essential Services Commission approved alternate billing arrangements for our customers in relation to charges for the usage period 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2026 (Approval). The Essential Services Commission also accepted an enforceable undertaking (Undertaking) from GWW which requires GWW to meet certain obligations in relation to consumer redress, notification of customers and improvements in relation to compliance with the Water Industry Standard. The decision is public and is available on the Essential Services Commission’s website.

Below is a summary of the Approval and the Undertaking and should be read consistently with them and the requirements under the Water Industry Standard.

A “large business customer" for the purpose of the Approval and the Undertaking means a customer that is not a residential customer or a small business customer.

A “small business customer” is defined under s. 4 of the charter.

The Approval provides an exception to GWW to bill on a quarterly basis for a time limited period.

After 30 June 2026 the usual requirements under the Water Industry Standard will apply.

The exceptions granted in the Approval allows GWW to bill outside a quarterly cycle for:

• bills issued before 1 September 2025 for charges in 2024
• bills from January to March 2025, provided the bills are issued within 12 months of the usage period, and the bill allows the customer to pay in installments or flexible payment plans
• bills from April 2025 to June 2026, provided the bills are issued within 12 months of the usage period, customers can access installments or flexible payment plans, the bills clearly state amounts owing from previous quarters as a separate item and notification requirements for small business customers in the undertaking are met.

A separate exception also applies for bills for large business customers only. This exception allows GWW to bill outside a quarterly cycle for 2024 charges (including amounts not yet billed), provided that these amounts are billed by GWW to those large business customers by no later than 28 February 2026, so long as:

• in the bill issued, the amount to be recovered from the previous quarters is listed as a separate item and is explained on or with the customer’s bill, and
• the bill issued allows the customer to pay the amount to be recovered from the previous quarters in instalments over four months or through a water business’ flexible payment plan in accordance with clause 7.2 of the Water Industry Standard.

The Undertaking also requires Greater Western Water to remediate small business customers by:

• writing off any 2024 charges where no bill was issued to a customer before 1 September 2025.
• giving an $80 credit to customers who received a bill for 2024 charges that were delayed by more than seven months
• giving credits of between $80 and $240 to customers who receive a delayed bill for usage charges from January 2025 to June 2026, based on the length of the delay
• giving an $80 credit to customers affected by the suspension of its ‘direct debit in full’ payment option.