The changes will apply from February 2022.
To coincide with the changes, a Water and Sewerage Service Agreement (agreement) has been developed for all Hill End Property Owner Customers.
This page sets out the pricing and invoicing arrangements for the Water Supply Services and Sewerage Services and should be read as part of the agreement.
Tenants in NPWS rental properties and commercial lessees are not required to enter into a separate agreement with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) for water and sewerage services, because the relevant lease and rental agreements provide that charges in relation to connection and use of utility services are payable by tenants under those agreements.
Services we provide to you
We provide service connections to the NPWS water and/or sewerage systems.
Where you only receive Water Supply Services or Sewerage Services, then this information only applies to those services and not to any service you do not receive.
We will charge water supply and/or sewerage services access fees and usage charges.
The fees and charges for each financial year period will be published on our website and are detailed in the following tables.
| Charge | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | 2025–26 | 2026–27 | Onwards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual access charge | $162 | $187 | $212 | $238 | $264 | $291 | CPI increase |
| Usage Step (k/L) | 151 | 151 | 151 | 151 | 151 | 151 | 151 |
| Usage charge below step ($/kL) | $0.92 | $1.06 | $1.20 | $1.35 | $1.50 | $1.65 | CPI increase |
| Usage charge above step ($/kL) | $1.38 | $1.59 | $1.80 | $2.02 | $2.24 | $2.47 | CPI increase |
| Average total charge/connection | $324.69 | $374.15 | $424.56 | $475.94 | $528.30 | $581.67 | TBC |
| Charge | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | Onwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access fee | $272 | $313 | CPI increase |
| Usage charge | $2.02 | $2.33 | CPI increase |
| Average total per connection | $544 | $626 | TBC |
All water connections will be metered to measure the amount of water that is used by the property. We will provide or approve all meters and will undertake regular meter readings to enable quarterly billing.
Sewerage usage charges are calculated as 80% of water usage based on your water meter reading.
Fees and charges for the 2021–22 financial year
The way fees and charges will apply for the 2021–22 financial year differs from the quarterly invoicing schedule below.
For the 2021–22 financial year:
- access fees will be invoiced to you in mid-March 2022 and payable by 1 April 2022
- usage charges will be invoiced to you at the end of April 2022 and payable by the due date stated on your invoice.
The fees and charges for the 2022–23 financial year will come into effect from mid-June 2022. After this time, the fees and charges will be issued in line with the quarterly invoicing schedule.
Issue of invoices – We will issue you with 2 invoices for the services each billing quarter:
- One invoice for the access fees. The invoice will be sent in advance of the billing quarter.
- One invoice for the usage charges. The invoice will be sent approximately 4 weeks after the beginning of the billing quarter.
We will send the invoices to the address listed in our accounting system. On your request, we will send the invoices to another address.
| 1 July | 1 October | 1 January | 1 April |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service fee invoice sent to customer mid-June and payable 1 July. | Service fee invoice sent to customer mid-September and payable 1 October. | Service fee invoice set to customer mid-December and payable 1 January. | Service fee invoice sent to customer mid-March and payable by 1 April. |
| Water meters will be read the first week of July by NPWS staff. | Water meters will be read the first week of October by NPWS staff. | Water meters will be read the first week of January by NPWS staff. | Water meters will be read the first week of April by NPWS staff. |
| Invoice for usage will be sent to customer 4 weeks post meter read. Invoice due date will be listed on your invoice. | Invoice for usage will be sent to customer 4 weeks post meter read. Invoice due date will be listed on your invoice. | Invoice for usage will be sent to customer 4 weeks post meter read. Invoice due date will be listed on your invoice. | Invoice for usage will be sent to the customer 4 weeks post meter read. Invoice due date will be listed on your invoice. |
Responsibility to pay the account – You must pay us the amount on the invoices by the date specified in the invoices unless we have agreed otherwise in writing.
How to make payment – You must pay the invoices by one of the methods specified in the invoices.
Overdue account balances – If you do not pay your account by the due date, it will have an overdue account balance and you will be required to pay interest in accordance with section 144A of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.
Undercharging – If the invoices state that you are required to pay us an amount that is less than what you are actually required to pay as a result of our error, we will adjust the next invoices to charge the undercharged amount as a separate line item.
If the undercharging is due to you providing incorrect information, you must pay the correct amount on request. The balance required for you to pay the correct amount will show as a separate line item.
Overcharging – If the invoices state that you are required to pay us an amount that is greater than what you are actually required to pay due to our error, we will apply a credit to your next invoice. This will appear as a separate line item.
Services can be interrupted for a range of reasons, including for planned maintenance, due to faults (unplanned) or for conservation of water (water restrictions).
Where we can, we will contact you about unplanned interruptions and will quickly try to restore services. We will notify you 2 days in advance of planned interruptions that will occur from time to time for maintenance of the system.
Water restrictions may be imposed depending on seasonal conditions. We will give you notice about the specifics of any water restrictions imposed, including the volume you can use, the times it can be used and how it can be used.
We can enter the property at a reasonable hour of the day in relation to the Water Supply Services and Sewerage Services for reading, testing, inspecting, maintaining and replacing a meter or to investigate issues relating to water or sewerage connections.
Where we can, we will give you notice to arrange entry to your property. Our ability to access the property is essential to the delivery of the services.
Requirements for tenants and property owners
Installing and maintaining a meter – Unless we agree otherwise, the property must have a meter provided or approved by us to measure the quantity of water supplied to you.
Safe practical access to the property – You must ensure that we have safe practical access to your property to enter to check the meter and service connections.
Care of meters – You must keep the meter and meter fittings that form part of the service pipe protected from damage.
If the meter is damaged, please advise us of that damage as soon as possible. If the meter is damaged other than by normal wear and tear, we may charge you for the cost of repairing or replacing the damaged meter.
Notice of system failures – If you become aware of a fault or maintenance issue or failure in the water system and/or sewerage system, let us know as soon as possible.
Water restrictions – When water restrictions are imposed, we ask that you comply with the restrictions.
Water use – You must only use the water supplied for domestic purposes (unless arrangements with us are in place for commercial use).
Altering connections and unauthorised connection or use – You must not wrongfully take, use or divert any water supplied by us.
Unauthorised interference – You can only undertake work on the parts of the system that you own within your property boundary. You need our written permission to undertake any work on the NPWS-owned water and sewerage system.
Provision of pensioner details – Provide us with proof of your pensioner details via mail or email to enable the access fee charges for the services to be discounted at the rate of 30%. Pensioner discounts do not apply to usage charges.
Requirements for property owners only
Stormwater runoff and defects – Property owners must ensure that your sewerage system or stormwater drainage does not allow rainwater, stormwater, groundwater or surface runoff to enter and impact the operation of our sewerage system and ensure that no defects are present in your water, sewerage or stormwater drainage system that could pose risk to our water and sewerage system.
Water and sewerage pipes – Property owners are responsible for maintaining all water and sewerage pipes and fittings located on the property to the start of connections to our water and sewerage system.
Change of property ownership – Notify us in writing as soon as possible if you intend to sell the property and within 7 days of any changes to ownership of the property advising name and contact details of the new property owner.
Payment of fees and charges after change of property ownership – Property owners will remain liable to pay the fees and charges for the services until we are notified about any change of ownership of the property at a prorated rate.
The service can be restricted or disconnected for reasons relating to non-payment of fees and charges, planned or unplanned interruptions, water shortages or the inability of the department to enter the property to read, test, inspect, maintain or replace a water meter or investigate issues relating to water or sewerage connections.
Limitations on when we can restrict or disconnect the services
We will not restrict or disconnect services to the property without providing notice to you where the reason for restriction or disconnection is non-payment of invoices, the inability of us to enter the property, or for reasons resulting from a breach of the Property Owner Customer Service Agreement.
This does not apply in the event of any unplanned interruptions to the services or in relation to emergency water shortage situations.
Effect of restriction or disconnection on you
Access fees and charges will continue to be charged and payable by you during periods of restrictions or disconnections to the services.
Restoring the services where they have been restricted or disconnected
We will restore the services to the property as quickly as possible in the case of both planned and unplanned interruptions to the services.
The services will be reinstated when payment of any outstanding fees and charges, including accrued interest charges, are made to us. We can arrange and agree to a payment plan of any outstanding charges to assist in quickly restoring the services to the property.
When you allow us safe access to enter the property for the purpose of reading your meter or investigating issues that have arisen from your water or sewerage connection, we will promptly restore the services.
When water restrictions are applied, we will review the need for restrictions on a regular basis so that the restriction period is minimised.
All correspondence between us relating to your water and sewerage connection will be communicated via post, hand delivery, email or telephone. We will send notices to you via the contact details provided by you. To make sure that our correspondence reaches you, you can update your information at any time by contacting us.
Hand-delivered notices will be left at the property address relating to the water and sewerage services connection.
For notices sent via Express Post and registered mail, we would expect delivery to occur within 4 days and for regular post within 10 days.
Emails are considered to be received within 4 hours after the time that they were sent to you or the next business day if sent after 5:00 pm.
Relevant to property owners only
If you transfer the property to another person, the agreement will be terminated once you provide notice to us of the change in ownership.
If we consider there to be a breach of the agreement, the agreement may be terminated if the breach has not been satisfactorily corrected.
The agreement can also be terminated on 90 days’ notice to the property owner by us.
All attempts to communicate and agree to a fair and reasonable outcome will be made before a termination of the agreement occurs.
If you dispute your water and/or sewerage usage invoice, you must advise us in writing within 30 days of the invoicing date, outlining why you believe your water and/or sewerage usage invoice is incorrect.
If you experience a concealed water leak on your property, you may be eligible for a review of your water and/or sewerage invoice under the following circumstances:
- a licensed plumber repaired the leak, and they have issued you with a report or letter confirming you had a leak you were not aware of, meaning the leak was concealed; that is, there was no physical or audible evidence, and you have maintained your water service, meaning there were no obvious defects that you have neglected to maintain. This report or letter must clearly state the address of the property where the leak occurred
- you have not had a review of any previous usage invoices due to a concealed water leak within the last 5 years.
You will not be eligible for a review of your invoice if:
- a licensed plumber did not repair the leak
- the leak was visible to you and not concealed; that is, there are unexplainable areas of pooling water, or water gushing from pipes
- the leak came from an internal fitting; that is, a tap, toilet cistern or washing machine
- the leak was in a vacant property or on unoccupied land
- you have had a review of your usage invoice within the previous 5 years.
If you are found to be eligible for a review of your usage invoice, we will calculate the average of your previous 4 usage invoices. If, for whatever reason, we are unable to use your last 4 usage invoices, we will use the latest average household water usage information provided from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
To request a review of your usage invoice, please get in touch with us via email and include any evidence provided by your licensed plumber.