Retail pricing
Regulatory determinations
Section 35 of the Water Industry Act 2012 empowers the Commission to make a determination under the Essential Services Commission Act 2002 regulating prices, conditions relating to prices, and price-fixing factors for water retail services.
SA Water
The Commission has made three regulatory determinations to apply to SA Water:
The Commission will make SA Water regulatory determination 2024 in May 2024, to apply for the period from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2028.
Information about the process that was followed for setting SA Water’s prices prior to 2013 is available on the Department of Treasury and Finance’s website.
Small-scale water retailers
The Commission has made a minor and intermediate retailers price determination which applies to small-scale water and sewerage service retailers.
The price determination requires minor and intermediate retailers to comply with the National Water Initiative Pricing Principles when charging for water and sewerage services, and report to the Commission on how they are complying with those principles.
The Commission may make price determinations specifically applicable to individual water retailers, if the Commission believes an individual determination is required. The Commission has made an individual price determinations for Robusto Investments Pty Ltd.
Water consumer research reports
The Consumer Advocacy and Research Fund (CARF), established under the Water Industry Act, provides annual funding to support:
- research or advocacy that promotes the interests of consumers with a disability, low-income consumers, or consumers who are located within a regional area of the State,
- projects that advance the interests of consumers from an advocacy perspective, and
- fund administration.
Please refer to Water consumer research reports for research that has been undertaken on the issues that are of interest to water consumers in South Australia.