On behalf of the Board of Greater Western Water, I sincerely apologise for the ongoing frustration caused by problems with our new billing system.
While the system has not worked the way it should, we’ve continued to deliver the water and sewerage services our customers rely on every day. We know not providing timely and accurate bills for these services has caused stress and inconvenience, and we’re truly sorry this has occurred.
Our customers deserve better, and we take full responsibility for what’s happened. We’re acting with urgency to put things right, and external billing and IT specialists are helping to guide the improvements still needed.
Following a request from the Minister for Water for an independent review, the Board engaged Nous Group to examine what went wrong and how Greater Western Water responded. The final report includes 25 recommendations, all of which we accept and are now acting on.
While the review was underway, we’ve been working to reduce delays, improve support, make bills easier to understand and restore normal operations. Almost four out of five customers are now back on a regular billing cycle – but some customers still haven’t received a bill in over a year and that’s not acceptable. We’re making progress, but it will take more time to return all customers to regular billing.
Many customers are also finding it hard to get the payment support they need. We are working to fix this by improving access to direct debit, payment plans and financial help, including hardship and Utility Relief Grants.
We are now focused on this next phase of recovery. By the end of 2025, we aim to restore all payment channels so customers can pay their bill in a way that works for them and progressively restore regular billing cycles for remaining customers. We’ll also continue to improve a range of services that we know matter - like sending information statements and processing approvals on time - so customers’ overall experience is smoother and more reliable.
We are also working with the Essential Services Commission (ESC) on a clear path forward that addresses the issues and strengthens outcomes for customers in line with agreed standards, while continuing to enhance privacy protections to safeguard customer information. Our priority is delivering customer-first service that meets both community and regulatory expectations.
As the new Chair, I will be working closely with Greater Western Water’s new Acting Managing Director Craig Dixon, to lead this next phase of change. Together, we’re focused on strengthening our systems, lifting our standards and rebuilding the trust we’ve lost.
We’re committed to delivering clear, measurable progress. This means resolving outstanding issues for impacted customers quickly and fairly, keeping our community regularly informed, and being fully accountable – to both our customers and the Minister for Water - through transparent reporting on our return to service commitments.
At gww.com.au/independentreview you’ll find Nous Group’s community report, along with a summary of the progress we’ve made to date and support available for customers.
You can stay updated on billing delays at gww.com.au/billingupdates where we’re sharing the latest customer updates and support information.
Thank you to everyone who’s spoken up and shared their experience. We’re listening and your feedback is driving the changes we need to make.
We know trust is earned by what we do next and our focus remains on getting it right.
