Overview

The Essential Services Commission regulates Victoria’s energy, water and transport sectors, and administer the Fair Go Rates system. The commission’s water team regulates the pricing of water services for consumers within Victoria.

In 2021, the commission will approve maximum prices and any changes in tariff structures for Melbourne Water for five years, that is until 30 June 2026. The commission is required to assess Melbourne Water’s proposals against a legal framework established by the State Government.

The commission seeks feedback from customers and stakeholders of Melbourne Water at each stage of the price review process to inform its decision making.

The commission consulted on Melbourne Water's price proposal from 9 November 2020 until 5 February 2021. The commission will be consulting on its draft decision in March.

How does this affect you?

This review is relevant to water and wastewater customers living in and around Melbourne. The findings from this review will inform the prices these water and wastewater customers pay for the next four years until 1 July 2026.

Specifically, it affects customers who are billed by Barwon Water, City West Water, South East Water, South Gippsland Water, Yarra Valley Water, Western Water and Westernport Water.

What are we looking at?

The commission’s review will focus on the wholesale water and wastewater charges that make up the prices billed to customers by Melbourne’s water retailers. The review will also create an upper limit on drainage and water ways charges that appear on water bills as a Melbourne Water charges.

Melbourne Water has summarised its proposals in its presentation to the Commission. You can also read its community summary or full submission.

Feedback on Melbourne water’s price submission

We consulted on Melbourne Water’s 2021-26 price submission from December 2020 to 5 February 2021 via Engage Victoria. We received eleven submissions:
  • Four from organisations: Hume City Council, Yarra Riverkeeper Association, Friends of Steele Creek and Werribee River Association
  • Seven from the general public.

Submissions from the public covered topics including:

  • affordability
  • the proposed sewage pricing
  • lack of incentives for water savings
  • the waterways and drainage charges.

The submission from Hume City Council covered topics including:

  • the support for the increased protection of natural wetlands
  • a request to investigate the timing for the construction of end of line stormwater quality treatment assets
  • support for the Sunbury and Upper Merri Creek stormwater harvesting infrastructure.
The submission from Yarra Riverkeeper Association covered topics including:
  • support for the waterways and drainage charges proposal
  • customers desire for healthy biodiverse waterways as a result of coronavirus
  • Melbourne Water’s engagement and its regulatory obligations for waterways’ environmental health.
The submission from Friends of Steele Creek covered topics including:
  • support for the increased water ways and drainage charges
  • relevance and consideration of the consultation process and finding.
The submission from Werribee Riverkeeper Association covered topics including:
  • support for the increased water ways and drainage charges
  • challenges for the Waterways including endangered species
  • the impact of coronavirus resulting in an increased use of the waterways.

To view these submissions, please visit our website.

Thank you to all stakeholders who made a submission. We are now reviewing your submissions and will release our draft decision in March 2021.

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Collection notice

As part of making a submission, we need you to provide personal information, such as your name, email address, town of residence and postcode. We will use this information to send you updates about this review.

It is our policy to publish all submissions to reviews on the Essential Services Commission website. This process may involve publishing your personal information (your name, not your address). You can request anonymity by selecting the relevant tickbox.

We may also collect personal information when you email us with a query. Aside from any exceptions in relevant privacy legislation, we will not use or disclose the information you provide for any purpose other than to progress and respond to your query.

You have the right to access personal information we hold about you. We may ask you to pay a small fee for this. You can also request that we correct your personal information in our records at no charge.

Requesting anonymity

You can request anonymity by selecting the relevant tickbox on this page. Depending on the circumstances, requesting anonymity may affect the weight we can give to your submission. Information that influences our decisions generally needs to be disclosed so stakeholders can understand the reasons for our findings.

Read more information about our submissions policy.

About us

The Essential Services Commission is an independent regulator that promotes the long term interests of Victorian consumers with respect to the price, quality and reliability of essential services. We regulate Victoria’s energy, water and transport sectors, and administer the local government Fair Go Rates system.