Water price review 2026

We have concluded our review of Melbourne Water’s and North East Water’s proposed prices and key outcomes to apply from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2031.

Overview

We have released our final decision and determination

We have issued price determinations that set the maximum prices Melbourne Water and North East Water may charge their customers for the next five years, starting from 1 July 2026.

How does this affect you?

Melbourne Water provides bulk water and sewerage services to metropolitan water businesses and some regional urban water businesses and provides waterways and drainage services to end-use residential and business customers in metropolitan Melbourne.

North East Water provides water and sewerage services to residential and business customers in north east Victoria.

Our determination impacts how much customers will pay for the services they receive from their water business, and the key service outcomes they can expect for the five-year period starting from 1 July 2026.

Our review and consultation process

The two water businesses submitted their proposals on 1 October 2025. We assessed the proposals against a legal framework established by the Victorian Government and set out in the Water Industry Regulatory Order, and the commission’s PREMO pricing framework.

As this is the second review under PREMO for both businesses, this review assessed the backward-looking 'Performance' element of PREMO, which holds a business accountable for its price and service commitments from the previous price review.

We sought feedback from customers and interested parties on each water business’s proposals and on our draft decisions, to inform our final decision.