We have approved 2019-20 prices for Goulburn-Murray Water.

We reviewed Goulburn-Murray Water's proposed 2019-20 prices from to ensure consistency with 2016 determination. Our review found the proposed prices met the requirements of the determination.

View price proposals and outcomes for other Victorian water businesses in our water price review 2018.

We released our final decision on the maximum prices Melbourne Water may charge for its services from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2026 on 22 June 2021.

This review is relevant to water customers living in and around the Melbourne metropolitan area

Melbourne Water provides wholesale water supply and sewage management services to retail water corporations that we also regulate. These retail water corporations are Greater Western Water (formerly City West Water and Western Water), South East Water, Yarra Valley Water, Barwon Water, South Gippsland Water and Westernport Water.

Melbourne Water also provides drainage and waterways services in and around Melbourne. 

You can also view our media release.

Customer outcomes

As part of its price submission, Melbourne Water consulted with customers to develop six outcomes to guide service delivery during the 2021–2026 regulatory period. It also identified measures and targets that it will use to report on its performance against these outcomes. 

Some of the ways Melbourne Water plans to address value for customers include:

• ensuring customers have access to safe and reliable water and sewerage services (largely through managing environmental risks and renewing older assets)
• maintaining the health of Melbourne’s river systems
• reducing flood risks
• making more green space available to customers. 

Environmental outcomes

Our final decision accepts a number of Melbourne Water’s investment proposals that support the environment and respond to climate change, including:

• $4 million to meet its carbon offsets, pledges and reduction activities
• $43 million for waterway and drainage activities such as wetland maintenance and sediment disposal, vegetation for environment and amenity, and increasing land and water access for the community
• investment in and maintenance of the Eastern Treatment Plant solar generation plant.

Consultation on our draft decision

We invited feedback from stakeholders on our draft decision via Engage Victoria before we made a final decision and price determination. Our consultation ended on 4 May 2021. You can read our public engagement summary for more details.

Our virtual public forum

We held a virtual public forum on 22 April 2021. The forum provided an opportunity for interested stakeholders to discuss key features of our draft decision. See a recording of the forum below:

Feedback on our draft decision

We sought feedback on our draft decision on Melbourne Water's 2021 price submission via Engage Victoria. We received 10 submissions including from the general public, VicWater, Yarra Riverkeeper Association, Consumer Action Law Centre, Newgate Research, Urban Development Institute of Australia - Victoria, a joint submission between six Victorian water businesses and a response to our draft decision from Melbourne Water.

Submissions covered topics including:

• affordability and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic
• environmental impacts and outcomes
• PREMO rating
• willingness to pay
• capitalisation of desalination security payments
• demand forecasts.

Details about feedback that informed the draft decision are available in the resources tab on this page.

How we reviewed Melbourne Water's prices

We undertook this review under our PREMO water pricing approach, which includes new incentives for water businesses to deliver outcomes most valued by customers. We reviewed the price submission against the Water Industry Regulatory Order (2014), the Essential Services Commission Act 2001, and the guidance we provided to Melbourne Water in November 2019 and August 2020.

As part of the water price review process, Melbourne Water can send us submissions on its proposed prices and key outcomes. Once we make a determination on these proposals, we create an annual tariff schedule for Melbourne Water. The schedule outlines the maximum prices Melbourne Water can charge its retailers for specific services, such as water delivery and sewage processing and the maximum prices it can charge consumers of waterways and drainage services. 

Learn more about water price regulation 

Read about how water bills are calculated and how we regulate the water sector. 

We have completed our review of the prices South Gippsland Water will charge from 1 July 2020.

We conducted our review under our new PREMO pricing framework, which:

• promotes better value and outcomes for Victorian water customers
• requires water businesses to undertake meaningful customer engagement to inform their price submissions.

Our determination sets out the maximum prices South Gippsland Water may charge from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2023.

Our final decision paper explains our reasons for making this price determination.

What will happen to your bill?

The table below shows the estimated typical annual bills (water and sewerage only) for residential customer groups during the regulatory period under the final decision (in $2020-21).

Note: *2020-21 annual bill is calculated based on a weighted average of prices maintained at a flat rate for the period 1 July 2020 to 31 October 2020 and a 5 per cent increase for the period 1 November 2020 to 30 June 2020.

Use our water bill calculator to estimate your own annual bill.

Got questions?

Contact us for more information.

We have completed our review of the prices Western Water will charge from 1 July 2020.

We conducted our review under our new PREMO pricing framework, which:

• promotes better value and outcomes for Victorian water customers
• requires water businesses to undertake meaningful customer engagement to inform their price submissions.

On 1 July 2021, City West Water and Western Water integrated to form business Greater Western Water. The price determination for Western Water applies to 30 June 2023, and must be complied with by Greater Western Water.

Our final decision paper explains our reasons for making this price determination.

What will happen to your bill?

The table below shows the estimated typical annual bills (water and sewerage only) for residential customer groups during the regulatory period under the final decision (in $2020-21).

Note: *Tenant bill include rebates of $105.51 (2019-20 and 2020-21), $90.44 (2021-22) and $75.37 (2022-23).

Use our water bill calculator to estimate your annual bill.

Got questions?

Contact us for more information.

We have completed our review of the maximum prices and service levels for Goulburn-Murray Water for the four year period of 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2024.

This review directly affects the prices Goulburn-Murray Water customers pay and the services they receive from 1 July 2020.

Our determination sets out the prices from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2024. 

We conducted our review under the Water Charge (infrastructure) Rules and the Water Industry Regulatory Order.

You can find out more on how we engaged on this review at Engage Victoria.

Got questions?

Contact us for more information. 

In line with our water industry standards, Victorian water businesses are required to:

• follow the customer-related standards, procedures and practices set out in the industry standard that is relevant to them
• develop, issue and comply with a customer charter that meets the procedural and substantive requirements of the relevant industry standard, and sets out the water business’s approved service standards.

We approve the annual tariffs that regulated water businesses charge their customers in each financial year.

We reviewed the proposed 2018‑19 prices from Goulburn-Murray Water to ensure they are consistent with our current determination. Once a tariff is approved, we publish the maximum annual tariffs.

View price proposals and outcomes for other Victorian water businesses in our water price review 2018. 

Feedback from key stakeholders

We accepted submissions on the prices in the application that we regulate under the water charge (infrastructure) rules (WCIR). Submissions closed on 18 May 2018.

In 2008, the Minister for Finance asked us to conduct an inquiry into the development of a state-based access regime for water and sewerage infrastructure services, including the access pricing methodology.

Our final report is set out in three volumes:

• Final Report Volume I sets out the commission’s findings and its recommendations to the Minister for Finance.
• Final Report Volume II provides a comprehensive explanation of the commission’s analysis and findings. It elaborates on the reasoning behind its recommendations and discusses responses received from stakeholders. You can also view the report prepared by Deloitte on functional separation under the resources tab.
• Final Report Volume III comprises supplementary material set out in appendices to the report. These appendices provide background information and more technical analyses related to several issues covered in the second volume. 

Our issues paper, our draft report, public submissions, our public forum presentation and the terms of reference are available under the resources tab.