Duration of the Fifth Regulatory Period

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  • Notice of intention to conduct a water and sewerage price determination investigation and make a price determination
  • Price and Service Plan Guideline
  • Duration of the fifth regulatory period​

Notice of intention to conduct a water and sewerage price determination investigation and make a price determination

On 1 October 2024, the Regulator notified stakeholders that it intended to conduct a water and sewerage price investigation and make a price determination on or before 30 April 2026.

Price and Service Plan Guideline 

The Price and Service Plan Guideline sets out the Regulator's minimum requirements for the information that should be provided in TasWater's proposed price and service plan. The guideline also provides information on how the investigation will be conducted (including consultation) and specifies the actions TasWater must take in preparing its proposed price and service. 

The Guideline sets out the Regulator's minimum requirements for the information that should be provided in TasWater's proposed price and service plan for the fifth regulatory period. The guideline also provides information on how the investigation will be conducted (including consultation) and specifies the actions TasWater must take in preparing its proposed price and service plan.

The Tasmanian Economic Regulator released its​​​​​​ Draft Water and Sewerage Price and Service Plan Guideline on 8 December 2023.

Submissions on the draft guideline closed at 5:00pm on 15 March 2024.​ The Regulator received a submission from:

 TasWater (PDF 10Mb)​

TasWater's submission set out a number of proposed changes to the way TasWater is regulated. Specifically, for the fifth regulatory period, TasWater proposed:

  • ​indexing prices annually to allow for inflation outcomes;
  • updating annually the cost of debt component of TasWater's return on capital;
  • regulating trade waste charges for Category 3 and 4 (industrial) trade waste customers; and
  • considering whole-of-system water and wastewater outcomes when making investment decisions. 
In response, the Regulator prepared an Issues Paper seeking input from interested parties and stakeholders on TasWater's proposals. 
Consultation on the Paper closed on Friday 7 June 2024. Submissions were received from:

 Nekon Pty Ltd (PDF 156Kb)

 Department of Treasury and Finance (PDF 126Kb)

 Deputy Premier and Treasurer, and Acting Minister for Finance (PDF 83Kb)

 M Eastley (PDF 350Kb)

 TasWater (PDF 16Mb)

 C Larner (PDF 313Kb)

The Regulator also held consultation meetings with members of the OTTER Customer Consultative Committee. The issues discussed during each meeting are available in the following summaries:​

 Monday 27 May 2024 - Tasmanian Small Business Council (PDF 107Kb)

 Tuesday 28 May - The Council on the Ageing Tasmania, the Salvation Army, and the Tasmanian Council of Social Services (updated) (PDF 73Kb)​

 Wednesday 29 May 2024 - The Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PDF 67Kb)

 Thursday 30 May 2024 - The Property Council of Australia, Tasmanian Division (PDF 59Kb)​

On 22 August 2024, the Regulator released a Statement of Reasons in response to the changes TasWater proposed for the fifth regulatory period. 

The Tasmanian Economic Regulator released the final Water and Sewerage Industry Price and Service Plan Guideline on 1 October 2024. The Final Guideline reflects issues raised during the consultation, the outcomes of the Regulator's analysis and changes to improve readability and clarity.

On 1 October 2024, the Regulator also notified TasWater of the requirement to submit, by no later than 30 June 2025, its proposed Price and Service Plan for the fifth regulatory period. ​

Duration of the Fifth Regulatory Period

​​​​​​On 26 June 2024, the Regulator declared​ that the duration of the fifth regulatory period will be four years from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2030 and released a​​ Statement of Reasons in response to TasWater's proposal on the duration of the fifth regulatory period. ​

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