What’s the rebate for?
We recognise that mental, physical and social health benefits are created through green public open spaces and indoor and outdoor sporting facilities. But we also know that these spaces require water to maintain their aesthetic and functional qualities.
That’s why we introduced a Water for Community rebate – to support not-for-profit organisations to deliver and maintain these areas for the benefit of the communities in our region.
How does it work?
We automatically apply the rebate to the accounts of eligible customers. To be eligible, organisations must:
- Be eligible for the State Revenue Office water and sewerage rebate scheme; and
- Be responsible for paying the water bill; and
- Be using water efficiently, and be required to demonstrate this upon request; and
- Fall within the following property types in our billing system:
- Parks, gardens and reserves
- Sporting/recreation grounds with function rooms
- Swimming pools
- Sporting/recreation grounds without function rooms
- Median strips
- Roundabouts
- Indoor sports centres
- Cemeteries
- Boat ramps.
- Not be:
- An organisation that operates a gaming venue
- A school – both government and non-government
- An organisation that operates horse racing facilities
Public golf courses and local government authorities are eligible if they meet the eligibility criteria (1) to (5) as listed above.
How is the rebate calculated?
We calculate the rebate as follows:
- 40% reduction for water used below 5,000 kilolitres (kLs) a year.
- 25% reduction for water used between 5,000 and 10,000kLs a year.
- The full rate applies for water used above 10,000kLs a year.
This approach provides a pricing incentive to support water efficiency.
What you’re obliged to do
If you’re eligible for the Water for Community rebate, you’ll need to ensure you’re using water efficiently.
We may ask you to demonstrate what you’re doing to help save water. We may remove the rebate if you are unable to show this.
We’ll also advise you if your water use is significantly higher than normal levels so that you can take action as soon as possible
Rebate end date
The Water for Community rebate will end on 30 June 2028.
As a government-owned and not-for-profit corporation, every dollar we raise goes back into delivering safe water and reliable services for our customers and communities, for today and tomorrow. However, it’s becoming more expensive to keep our services running smoothly. Costs like construction, materials and energy have risen sharply in recent years, outpacing revenue.
Following a recent review of the rebate, we identified it’s not achieving its intended benefits. Further, it’s not aligned to the expectations of our customers who are telling us they’d like us to:
- Increase the support we provide to vulnerable customers.
- Increase our work to protect the environment.
- Keep our bills as low as possible.
Therefore, we’ve decided to remove the rebate. As part of our next price submission, we’ll consider providing further support for vulnerable customers and increase funding for environmental programs.
Organisations who have received the rebate have been given early notice of this decision so they can implement water saving measures or adjust their budgets.
