Shadow Minister for the Central Coast and Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch and Shadow Minister for Water Steph Cooke are calling on the NSW Government to take urgent additional measures to secure the future of Central Coast Council’s stormwater drainage services following the passage of the Water Management Amendment (Central Coast Council) Bill 2024.
Crouch said the Bill lacked comprehensive solutions for the Coast’s water utility challenges, particularly beyond the expiration of the current Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) determination for stormwater drainage pricing on June 30, 2026.
“This latest Labor Government Bill barely scratches the surface of the Central Coast’s water utility issues,” Crouch said.
He said the Government had missed the opportunity to resolve the mechanism for levying the Council’s Stormwater Drainage charge without putting the community through an unnecessary and costly Special Rate Variation process.
“This is a lose-lose for our community, leaving a newly elected council facing the prospect of applying for a Special Rate Variation which will require ratepayers to foot the $500,000-$1M bill to pay for the application process,” he said.
The Central Coast Council’s water utility serves about 345,000 residents, including 140,000 homes and businesses, making it the third largest in NSW.
Cooke emphasised that the stormwater drainage charge funded the renewal, replacement and upgrade of stormwater drainage assets across the region, ensuring road safety, minimising flood risks and improving water quality in the region’s waterways.
“Stormwater drainage services, contributing $23M annually to the Council’s finances, are left in a precarious state,” she said.
“The government must ensure arrangements are in place to cover these essential services.”
She said the Opposition would closely scrutinise the implementation of the new arrangements and continue to advocate for urban water security and sustainability on the Central Coast.