There are big changes in store for water and sewer management in the region, with Central Coast Council set to be removed as a water supply authority under the Water Management Act.
Council has been in a unique position until now as the only council in NSW providing water services under two different legislative Acts, as well as being subject to price regulation by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART).
A new Bill before State Parliament sets out to streamline how the region’s water and sewerage services are regulated and administered, bringing the Central Coast in line with all other local governments across regional NSW and protecting utilities as publicly owned and managed assets.
The Coast’s Labor MPs say the move will “support good governance and sound decision making” and eliminate red tape for Council by removing regulatory double-up and complexity, paving the way for better governance.
“It will provide a simpler and clearer regulatory framework for incoming councillors and reduce costs, freeing Council up to perform its core role of providing essential services for the Central Coast,” they said in a joint statement.
“Additionally, it will help resolve some of the complexity that contributed to Council being placed in administration in October 2020.”
The Bill does not pursue privatisation or corporatisation, with Council retaining control of services and infrastructure, and comes off the back of the 2022 Public Inquiry, which included widespread public consultation, and a review into Council’s water utility legislative and regulatory framework in 2023.
The MPs say the move will align the regulation of Council’s water supply and sewerage services more closely with the regulatory framework which applies to all other councils and retain IPART as the regulator of Council’s water supply and sewerage service prices to ensure adequate oversight of Council’s pricing.
It will exempt Council from “unnecessary and inefficient restrictions” on money transfers between the water supply fund and the sewerage fund, to improve effective management of cash flow and debt funding.
Minister for Water Rose Jackson said the changes were long overdue and would give residents greater confidence that their water services were being properly managed.
“This Bill is a great outcome and fantastic news for people across the Central Coast,” she said.
Minister for the Central Coast and Member for Wyong David Harris said the bill would best serve residents, businesses and customers and Member for Swansea Yasmin Catley said it would “take the focus off jumping through tricky hoops” and get Council back onto “getting the job done”.
“Eliminating unnecessary obstacles will pave the way for more time to deliver the things that matter most to the people of the Central Coast,” Catley said.
Member for The Entrance David Mehan said water service would remain locally owned and controlled while the simplification of regulation and IPART price oversight would “make sure we are paying no more than we should for our water and sewer service”.
Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch said eliminating red tape would allow Council to “focus on what matters most – providing essential services for our Central Coast community”.
A Council spokesperson said the proposed changes were welcome as they “provide greater clarity and flexibility in how Council will deliver water and sewer services to the Central Coast community into the future”.
“Council acknowledges that the proposed bill addresses one of the recommendations identified in the Public Inquiry,” the spokesperson said.
“Council notes there are still some administrative issues which need to be resolved, separate to the proposed Bill, and Council is continuing to work with the NSW Government to resolve these minor matters.”
Terry Collins
Central Coast is not the only council.. Mid Western Regional Council also is in charge of water and sewage for it council customers, your research is poor.
Thank you for your feedback Shannon. You’re right, in fact many councils in NSW own/run their own water services, however all those councils only fall under the one state government act for smaller water authorities. Central Coast Council water service is so large it has been the only council in NSW that straddles two acts of parliament that do not align with each other, causing unecessary costs and management challenges which cost us all very dearly.
does this mean we might get water thats actually drinkable instead getting screwed over by council
Under the NSW State Liberal Government of Mr. Nick Greiner from 25 March 1988 to 24 June 1992 I can well remember the Sewage Outfalls being extended due to continuous shocking Sewage Pollution close to Beaches such as
Bondi, Malabar, Coogee, Brontë et al. However, I can find no reference whatsoever to this very important reform in researching Greiner’s Government through Wikipedia, it is almost as if it has been censored, so obviously I cannot give
a figure on the cost of this Reform. My point is that in the light of the aforegoing changes to policy, which seemed to have no specific detail whatsoever, just who is fiscally responsible for the current Sewage Outfall at CRACKNECK POINT at BATEAU BAY on the NSW CENTRAL COAST, an Outfall which goes directly into THE OCEAN at CRACKNECK
POINT specifically. This has now created totally unacceptable Sewage Pollution Problems for Toowoon Bay, North Shelly Beach, Shelly Beach, and Blue Lagoon and things get progressively worse by the day as The Central Coast Population rapidly increases. So much for the Pristine Wonder that was Blue Lagoon prior to the Sewage being connected. One critical but small first step would be to at least research the probable costings of a viable extension
of The Sewage Outfall now DIRECTLY at CRACNECK POINT, BATEAU BAY. Okay, I can hear you, Where Is The Money
Coming from ? What should be the priorities ? Well it is about time that so-called Government gave some priority to those living here in Australia than to the endless numbers that want to come here and to sticking our nose into Endless
War, the World’s Population, OFFICIALLY, has doubled in the last 5O years, from 4 Billion in 1974 to 8 Billion NOW, in
2024. I concede, and as Federal Treasury officially points out, the 2 sources of income for Government are BORROWINGS and Direct and Indirect Tax, read GST, with some income from Levys, Fees et al. As Governments own nothing that can produce a steady stream of revenue, I concede that it is probably inevitable that the Goods and Services Tax, The GST, will be eventually increased from the current 10% to 15%. But as long as Superannuation Schemes, Banks, Credit Unions, Individuals et al continue to in Invest in Treasury Bonds in Australia and Overseas
Countries continue to Invest in Australian Treasury Bonds I say that the money is there to do something about this
Scandalous Sewage Pollution. At the end of the day it is really about Prioritising the people who actually live in
Australia and having the Political Will to do so.
just another layer of government on its way.. can’t wait!