Submission in response to National Water Reform issues paper 2020

The NSW Water Directorate's initial submission to the Productivity Commission's May 2020 issues paper is available here.

The Directorate calls on all water related agencies to collaborate and invest in water utility resilience for regional water providers through water utility capacity building, improved risk management and non-asset solutions such as digital technology. Regional communities would also benefit from increased investigation into groundwater, promoting regional collaboration, community water literacy and additional investment in research and innovation. Additional support should be provided as a Community Service Obligation for regional/remote communities to ensure a minimum level of service is achieved for water as an essential service.

Future reform directions should include a renewed focus on satisfactory water quality in the face of challenging environmental conditions and introducing benchmarking for water utility resilience. An integrated approach to catchment management, safe drinking water and water security should be supported and encouraged. The Water Directorate supports a review of Integrated Water Cycle Management guidelines and Section 60 infrastructure approvals applicable to regional NSW.