Arabic version: تاس ووتر تعيد النظر في رسوم الصرف الصحي بعد ارتفاع فواتير الشركات

According to ABC News, TasWater is assessing changes to fixed sewerage charges after some non-residential customers, including businesses, manufacturers and sporting clubs, faced major bill increases. The utility said it would make changes to lessen the impact and rectify unintended consequences from a pricing method introduced on July 1.

Under the change, fixed sewerage charges were calculated using the size of a property’s water pipe connection rather than sewerage usage. TasWater general manager Callan Paske said some customers with large water connections did not place comparably high demand on the sewerage system. One business said its monthly bill rose from $630 to $3,800, a 500 per cent increase.

TasWater said sporting clubs that primarily use water for irrigation would have their charges adjusted. Paske said clubs with 100-millimetre connections would be deemed to have a 20-millimetre connection for sewerage charging purposes. He said this could reduce a fixed charge from close to $20,000 to just under $1,000. The changes will be backdated to July 1, with refunds for customers who have already paid.

The announcement does not affect water-usage price rises, including household charges. The Tasmanian Economic Regulator rejected TasWater’s request for an 8.8 per cent rise over four years, with prices instead set to rise by an average of 5.7 per cent each year over the next four years. Paske said the sewerage adjustments would reduce TasWater revenue by millions of dollars and affect its ability to upgrade ageing infrastructure.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff welcomed the “pause and rethink”, while the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry called it a “good first step”. Acting chief executive Colleen Reardon said TasWater and its local government owners needed a long-term solution.