Improving economic regulation of water and sewerage services
The Northern Territory Government is seeking feedback on opportunities to improve economic regulation of water supply and sewerage services in the Territory.
Government has developed a number of high-level reform options to improve water supply and sewerage services for customers and the community. Feedback from customers and other stakeholders will help inform government’s final reform direction.
This work is part of a broader process to develop a Northern Territory Strategic Water Plan to improve all aspects of water management in the Territory.
Why is economic regulation needed?
The supply of water and sewerage services is essential to Territorians who expect affordable, reliable and safe services. Water supply and sewerage services also enable business activity and economic development, and support amenity and liveability of our communities.
Customers do not have a choice about who provides their water supply and sewerage services. Service providers are monopoly businesses that do not compete with each other to provide the highest quality and least cost services to customers. The purpose of economic regulation is to place rules on service providers to ensure that they provide customers with safe, reliable and affordable services.
What water and sewerage services are currently regulated?
In the Northern Territory, there is one licenced and regulated service provider, the Power and Water Corporation, which supplies water and sewerage services to licenced supply areas of Greater Darwin, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Yulara and 12 minor centres. Outside of the licenced supply areas, including in some towns and remote communities, customers do not receive the same protections afforded by economic regulation because service providers at these locations are not licensed or regulated.
Consultation is open until 18 November 2022
Find out more at: Have your say
