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.
The Commission’s Advice to the Treasurer on the Economic regulation of the South Australian water industry also provides further background information relating to the economic regulation of SA Water.
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 reports
Water Industry Act - review of water meter arrangements
In 2013, the Commission released a report on the costs and benefits of installing separate water meters on public residential land. The report has been prepared pursuant to section 99 of the Water Industry Act 2012.
The report sets out the costs and benefits, and distributional impacts, of three schemes to retrofit individual meters to approximately 17,000 South Australian Housing Trust (SAHT) residential dwellings which are currently serviced by group SA Water meters. The report also considers the merits of mandating individual metering for newly constructed SAHT properties.
Please refer to Water Industry Act - review of water meter arrangements for further information.
Consumer Advocacy and Research Fund (CARF)
The Consumer Advocacy and Research Fund (CARF), established under the Water Industry Act 2022, 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 further information.