Time to restructure water management

EDITORIAL

Central Coast residents are once again being asked to dig deeper into their pockets, with councillors this week approving a foreshadowed water rate increase of around 8 per cent.

If endorsed by regulators, this will be the latest in a line of rises since amalgamation, an amalgamation that was sold to the public on the promise of efficiencies and reduced pressure on rates.

Council staff have pointed to rising costs, inflation, and necessary upgrades to the water and sewer network as justification.

These are sound reasons on the surface, and no one disputes the importance of maintaining a safe and reliable supply of water.

But the public is left asking: where are the efficiencies we were promised?

Since the 2016 merger, residents have seen repeated rate hikes with little evidence that the enlarged organisation is delivering better value.

Instead, the perception is that water management is struggling, weighed down by structural issues and the legacy of past mismanagement.

For years, talk has circulated about the creation of a separate water authority, one with the specialist skills and independence to manage this essential service.

Such a reform has been raised, shelved, and raised again, but now it must be given new urgency.

Water is not just another council department.

It is the most fundamental of community services, and its management must be transparent, efficient, and sustainable.

Ratepayers have done their part, shouldering increase after increase.

It’s time for government to deliver its part, by giving the Central Coast the water authority it deserves.

David Abrahams – Managing Editor