Water bills for North East property owners will increase on average by $101 or 9.9pc in 2026-27, which includes 4.1pc inflation.

Prices will then increase by 5.4 per cent or about $70 on average (excluding inflation) from 2027-28, equating to a total increase of around 27pc before inflation over a five-year period.

It comes as North East Water (NEW) received its final price determination from the Essential Services Commission (ESC), which sets the maximum prices that can be charged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2031.

Renters will pay much less for water with the typical household bill increasing 2.1pc or $11 (excluding inflation) in 2026-27.

Prices will then increase 1.8pc or $10 on average (excluding inflation and price adjustments) from 2027-28.

NEW managing director Jo Murdoch said support for customers experiencing financial hardship will be significantly strengthened with $400,000 per year allocated helping more than 1000 customers annually.

“Consistent with our deliberative forum recommendations and to better reflect customer needs while also encouraging efficient water use, volumetric water tariffs will increase on average by 2.1pc in 2026-27 with the remaining charges up to 5.6pc of the total bill spread across water and wastewater fixed charges," she said.

"This will lead to fairer bills for tenants, larger households, and small businesses."

Ms Murdoch welcomed the decision and said the new price period will support continued investment in critical water and wastewater infrastructure and essential services across the North East region.

“We heard very clearly that our customers are concerned about housing shortages, cost of living and the environment and that North East Water has a role in responsibly addressing these," she said.

"The determination has balanced affordability for our customers with the need to invest for a growing and changing region.

"It allows us to continue delivering safe, reliable water and wastewater services while making the investments needed to support population growth, climate resilience and changing customer expectations.”

Ms Murdoch said North East Water still has the second most affordable regional bill in the state.

"This is on the back of over a decade of flat and declining prices," she said.

"Increased investment is now required to meet our obligations to meet growth and provide sustainable water and wastewater services.

"We are pleased with the outcome which has required us to undertake a rigorous expenditure review with our economic regulator which has determined that our proposed operational and capital expenditure is prudent and efficient."

New customer contributions will increase to $7611 per lot, excluding inflation; reflecting the one-off financial contribution toward works that are required to service new developments.

NEW has also introduced a small-scale development charge for three lots or less of $638 per lot.

Over the next five years, North East Water will deliver a $280.2 million capital investment program supporting more than 9000 new home connections and creating an estimated 500 planning and construction jobs across the region.

NEW will provide customers with clear, year-by-year information about updated fees and charges before the new prices take effect on 1 July.