Water services bills move up to parliament
Jun 14, 2011
The Water Services Bill 2011 and the Water Services Legislation Amendment and Repeal Bill 2011 have recently been introduced to parliament, significantly progressing the water reform process. The Water Services Bill 2011 will consolidate and modernise existing water service legislation, making it clearer and easier to use by streamlining regulatory processes and addressing gaps in current legislation. The bill will improve the ability of licensees to provide high quality and efficient water services to their customers. It will create a Water Services ombudsman to investigate customer complaints and enable the appointment of a ‘supplier of last resort’ when a water utility is in danger of failing. This will also enable the Minister to implement policy for the water services industry through the use of customer codes. This bill will also repeal legislation made redundant by the Water Services Bill 2011 and make the necessary associated consequential amendments. Click on the links above to see the bills.