Water business outcomes reporting

What is outcomes reporting?

Outcomes reporting considers the performance of Victoria’s water businesses against their own commitments to customers, which are established during water price reviews under our PREMO water pricing framework. We expect water businesses to take ownership for their performance and be directly accountable to their customers through self-reporting as soon as practical after the completion of each reporting year. 

Each water business reports its actual performance for the year against its targets, providing a self-assessment using a simple “traffic light” rating system:

• red = failed to meet target
• yellow = close to achieving target
• green = achieved target

Using this traffic light system, businesses rate each of their measures, each of their outcomes, and their overall performance for the year. Businesses also comment on overall performance and on each outcome.

Water businesses’ summary reports are available below, along with our latest outcomes report providing an overview on how businesses performed in 2024–25. Refer to each water business’s website for its detailed self-reporting.

Following the 2024 water price review, outcome commitments for Greater Western Water and Goulburn-Murray Water are now available. Due to the 2021 merger of City West Water and Western Water into Greater Western Water, we will no longer be reporting on the separate service areas.

Are customers getting what they paid for?

We consider customers are generally getting what they paid for, but there are clear variations in how businesses rate themselves and demonstrate accountability for their own performance. Businesses have continued to deliver value to their customers, and five businesses reported they fully met their outcome commitments. These businesses are Barwon Water, Central Highlands Water, Coliban Water, East Gippsland Water and Gippsland Water.

View each business's outcomes performance for 2024-25:

Delivery of businesses' major capital projects

Our major projects supplement covers the status of water businesses’ largest capital projects. Significant changes to the major project schedule essentially change what customers get for their prices and should be explained to customers by the water business.

While the water businesses are generally performing well against their outcome commitments, 70 major capital projects (36 per cent) are reported as being deferred or delayed – a high number considering for most businesses this is the second year of their regulatory period.

We will continue to closely monitor the delivery of major capital projects, as a business’s performance in this area, and how well it manages and communicates material changes, will factor into its PREMO Performance rating and therefore the return on equity we set at its next price review.