Submission to the Draft National Water Initiative Pricing Principles
Step change decreases in rainfall, dying river systems and record low storage inflows in many parts of Australia in recent years have made plain the challenge of achieving water security for the country. In recent weeks towns in southern Queensland have run out of mains water while in Melbourne storages remain below 40% going into summer. While many jurisdictions are imposing water usage targets and restrictions in an attempt to conserve vital water storages, Australians are still using an excessive amount of mains supplied water relative to our climate and to the rest of the world. At the same time, gigalitres of wastewater and stormwater ‐ enough to satisfy the needs of major cities ‐ are unutilized. It has become apparent that Australia needs to systemically alter the manner in which it manages water.
For this reason, the Alternative Technology Association (ATA) appreciates the opportunity to comment on the National Water Initiative’s Pricing Principles. The structure of water pricing plays an important role in directing water policy. Of central importance is the need for pricing principles to support environmentally sustainable water management practices by consumers, retailers and policymakers alike.
