Water Directorate Submission to Review of Regional Towns Water Quality and Security
25 March 2011
Infrastructure Australia engaged AECOM to prepare a Review of Regional Towns Water Quality and Security which was published in October 2010. Last month the Water Directorate engaged Ken Grantham, a well know water industry practitioner, to prepare a response to Infrastructure Australia on behalf of our Executive Committee. As previously advised to members, we have provided a copy of our submission for information here.
Our submission is critical of many parts of the AECOM report because the data used is either inconsistent or not representative of LWUs in regional NSW. Our comments on the recommendations made by AECOM include:
Mandatory compliance with Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) has already been legislated by the NSW Health Department in 2010 and is supported. This compliance is well progressed within regional NSW.
The NSW Health Department has a health based regulatory role associated with drinking water quality. Refinement of this role to conform to a national standard is supported.
The NOW is responsible for independent monitoring and reporting of water quality performance of regional NSW water utilities. IPART also has a regulatory role. Refinement of their roles to conform to a national standard is supported.
NSW regional water utilities operate under a Best Practice Management Framework. A national standard that builds on this framework is supported.
NSW regional water utilities have in place a Best Practice Pricing Policy. A national standard that builds on this policy is supported.
NSW, through the NOW, has in place well developed operator training courses. A national standard that builds on this model is supported.
Structurally disaggregating water utilities in NSW is not supported. There are significant financial, social and environmental costs in disaggregating water supply functions from local government in NSW and forming regional corporations. The AECOM report does not address these costs and other key issues nor present any well substantiated arguments for its proposed recommendations to form regional corporations. The report has been based on selective and often questionable data and provides recommendations that are inconsistent or inadequately supported by the report content.
A copy of our submission to Infrastructure Australia will also be forwarded to the Productivity Commission as a precursor to our submission to their Inquiry into Australia's Urban Water Sector which is due to report in August 2011.
Please feel free to contact Gary Mitchell with any of your comments on the submission.
