Australia's peak infrastructure body Infrastructure Partnerships Australia (IPA) and the Water Services Association of Australia – the peak body for water utilities – have presented a major report to the Commonwealth Government calling for fundamental change to urban water.
The report says that, despite its importance, Australia's urban water sector faces significant unresolved challenges to its operation and long-term financial viability. It calls for deliberate and sustained microeconomic reform to equip water utilities with the financial resources they need to meet growth requirements and properly utilise water resources-tempered by the right regulatory structure to protect customers and economic value.
The report goes on to provide three recommendations:
- that Australia needs national leadership in urban water policy
- that Urban water reform needs a permanent national champion
- that the Commonwealth develop a reform incentive framework, with funding for state governments linked to urban water reform milestones.
A full copy of the report is available on the IPA website.