Overview
Reliable and affordable water, electricity and gas are essential to most businesses. Households also rely on access to affordable energy and water for everyday cooking and cleaning, as well as for health, comfort and recreation. There are opportunities to ensure that water and energy services are reliable and available at a reasonable cost which will make it easier for businesses to operate and invest, and provide households and businesses with greater certainty to enable better planning.
Outline the long-term vision for the whole water sector (including rural water, wastewater, stormwater, flood management) and develop a plan to meet the challenges facing the sector.
Issue Statements of Expectations to state-owned water corporations to provide clear guidance on the Government’s plans and direction.
Bring together leaders from all key NSW water sector organisations to coordinate and deliver the vision outlined in the planned state water strategy.
Identify more permanent governance measures to solve the fragmentation of water responsibilities across New South Wales.
Draw on the experience of the Infrastructure NSW South Creek Sector Review to identify other areas in New South Wales that would benefit from integrated land use and water planning.
Sydney Water should continue to work with IPART to estimate long-run marginal costs for its wastewater catchment areas and consider implications for pricing.
Coordinate with state-owned water corporations to develop and implement a public engagement program for recycled water. Explore the establishment of a Demonstration Plant in Sydney to help people understand the water cycle.
Identify and assess alternative models to help local water utilities meet quality and reliability standards.
Monitor the effectiveness and efficiency of the new Sydney Water scarcity pricing model in managing demand and use this to guide water demand management policy.
Review NSW’s Building Sustainability Index (BASIX) scheme to ensure it meets both environmental and economic objectives.
Revisit the NSW Energy Security Target in the context of reliability standards endorsed by the Commonwealth of Australian Government (COAG) Energy Council:
- If it imposes greater reliability requirements, demonstrate that this is consistent with consumers’ willingness to pay.
- Otherwise, adopt the COAG Energy Council standards in its place.
Commit to a contestable private energy market based on technology-neutral, competitive neutrality principles.
Create a NSW-specific emissions intensity scheme to help optimise investment in electricity, having regard to climate change mitigation objectives and the pace of innovation.
Evaluate options for rolling out smart meters to all consumers and for time-of-use, cost-reflective electricity pricing.
Establish a single NSW Energy Regulator and remove the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal’s responsibility for regular monitoring of the retail electricity market.
Review the Strategic Regional Land Use Policy and Strategic Release Framework to ensure they maximise the balance of costs and benefits to industry and the community.
Improve efficiency and accessibility of administering energy rebates and support programs by incorporating them into the Government Made Easy: Tell Us Once initiative.
Digital Assets
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