North East Water is inviting customers across the region to provide feedback on its 2026 Price Submission through a newly released ‘Customer Summary’. This engagement opportunity comes well ahead of the water corporation submitting its final pricing proposal to the Essential Services Commission, Victoria’s independent economic regulator, on 1 October 2025. The ‘Customer Summary’ outlines a proposed $250 million investment in critical infrastructure that will improve water and wastewater security across the region, support over 9300 new housing connections and 500 local jobs, improve health and environmental compliance, and strengthen climate resilience. It also proposes to double its Customer Support fund which will help thousands of vulnerable customers a year with payment extensions, bill rebates and access to concessions and grants. Managing director Jo Murdoch said the views of more than 6300 customers, gathered across three years of engagement, had helped shape and influence North East Water’s proposal. “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 address these,” she said. “They also want us to remain reliable, responsive, sustainable, local and fairly priced and it is these key themes that will guide our Customer Commitments in our next price period.” Ms Murdoch said more than $1 billion in new or upgraded water and wastewater infrastructure was required for the region in the next 10 to 15 years to respond to housing growth, compliance and climate change. This included the need for replacing major trunk infrastructure, upgrading water and wastewater treatment plants, new water storages, renewal of existing pipes and pumps and more, she said. “North East Water is already delivering $350 million in infrastructure in its current price period, but further investment is urgently needed from 2026-31 to avoid delaying new housing, impacting the environment and increasing future costs," Ms Murdoch said. “To cover the cost of this critical infrastructure, we are proposing bills to increase by an average of 5.25 per cent annually, excluding inflation. “For a typical household using 194kL per year, this would mean a $61 increase in the first year, or $1.17 per week, and a total increase of $340 over five years. "For tenants, the increase is just $11 in the first year, or 21 cents per week, and $55 over five years.” Ms Murdoch said even with these increases, North East Water’s bills would remain on par or below the average for regional Victorian water corporations. She said the corporation’s average water bills had been among the lowest in regional Victoria and Australia for over a decade. In 2023–24, North East Water’s average household bill was $1040 which was $500 below the national average and $220 below the regional Victorian average. Ms Murdoch said that as part of the engagement process, a deliberative forum of 30 independently recruited customers met across five full days to consider tariffs, growth, compliance and service levels. "The forum recommended annual price increases between 4.92 per cent and 5.87 per cent to support the proposed infrastructure spend," she said. "Our proposed bill increases fall between this range.” Ms Murdoch said North East Water is committed to supporting customers experiencing financial hardship. "Following consultation with more than 20 support agencies and customers with lived experience, we plan to double our support program to $2 million over five years, assisting over 1000 customers annually through rebates, grants, concessions and other supports," she said. “Our proposal also includes tariff rebalancing to reduce impacts on tenants, large families and small businesses, while continuing to reward water conservation.” Chair of North East Water’s Customer and Community Advisory Group, Ash Gill, said the corporation had delivered a strong and well-rounded engagement program. “It’s been inclusive and thorough, capturing a wide range of customer voices, including people with lived experience of vulnerability, Traditional Owners and First Nations organisations, developers, major customers and other key stakeholders," he said. "Our advisory group was genuinely involved throughout the process, receiving regular updates and having open discussions about the challenges involved in delivering this program of work.” "North East Water’s Price Submission Customer Summary is now available on North East Water’s website, and customers are encouraged to provide feedback by 8 August.” The final submission will be lodged with the ESC who checks water corporations’ pricing plans to make sure they are fair, reasonable and in the best interests of customers. North East Water’s new pricing would take effect from 1 July 2026 if approved. For more information and to have your say, visit: www.newater.com.au/ps.
