We are preparing to review the new prices to apply from 1 July 2028 for 16 Victorian water businesses.
We are now consulting on draft guidance.
Water price review 2028
- Consultation opens20 July 2026
- Consultation closes14 Aug 2026
- Reviewing feedbackAugust - September 2026
- Final decisionLate September
Overview
Water businesses are preparing for our next water price review
In September 2027, 16 Victorian water businesses are required to provide us with price submissions outlining their proposed prices and key service outcomes to apply from 1 July 2028.
We will assess each water business's price submission against a legal framework established by the Victorian Government and set out in the Water Industry Regulatory Order (PDF), and the commission's PREMO water pricing framework. PREMO includes incentives for each water business to put forward its best offer to customers and deliver the outcomes its customers value most.
Guidance to water businesses
In preparing to review water businesses' price submissions, we are engaging on proposed changes to our guidance which sets out:
- the information each water business will be required to provide us in its price submission
- our approach and methodology to assessing price submissions and making a price determination.
In April 2026 we published early direction on our priorities for the water sector and requirements for the 2028 water price review
Consultation on draft guidance
We released draft guidance for consultation on 20 July 2026. You can provide feedback on our draft guidance via Engage Victoria. Consultation closes at 5pm on Friday, 14 August 2026.
We expect to release the final guidance paper in September 2026.
Water businesses we will be reviewing
The 16 water businesses included in our review provide water and sewerage services to domestic, business and rural customers across Victoria. They are:
- Barwon Water
- Central Highlands Water
- Coliban Water
- East Gippsland Water
- Gippsland Water
- Goulburn Valley Water
- Goulburn-Murray Water
- Greater Western Water
- GWMWater
- Lower Murray Water
- South East Water
- South Gippsland Water
- Southern Rural Water
- Wannon Water
- Westernport Water
- Yarra Valley Water
We will seek feedback from customers and stakeholders of the 16 water businesses at multiple points throughout the price review process to inform our decision-making process. Following public consultation on our draft decision, we will issue a determination and final decision in June 2028 that sets the maximum prices that each water business may charge its customers from 1 July 2028.
How does this affect you?
Water price submissions set out the service levels water businesses propose to deliver and the prices they propose to charge - in essence, their customer value proposition. Water businesses must engage with customers to understand what they value and prepare proposals that reflect this.
Our determination sets maximum prices customers can be charged for the services they receive from their water business, and the key service outcomes they can expect for the period from 1 July 2028.
We encourage customers to engage with their water business as it develops its price submission, to help ensure it reflects their views and preferences. Customers will also have the opportunity to engage with the commission during our price review process after water businesses have submitted their proposals to us at the end of September 2027.
Learn more about water price regulation
Read about how water bills are calculated and how we regulate the water sector.