Additional water concessions to flow to customers
The Malinauskas Government’s cost of living relief will also be expanded to provide a greater concession for water bills.
The $64.8 million water and sewer concession initiative will provide bill relief to more than 190,000 concession recipients, including pensioners.
The average concession card holder will receive $412 off their annual water and sewer bill.
From 1 July, SA Water’s concession recipients will begin to receive their quarterly water and sewer bills, with the new concession directly applied to their bill.
While an average metropolitan household will face a water bill increase of approximately $21 a quarter in 2024-25, an equivalent householder who receives the increased water and sewerage concession will face an increase of approximately $8 a quarter.
This increased water and sewer concession is in addition to the comprehensive $266.2 million cost of living package outlined in the 2024-25 State Budget.
That package included $51.5 million for a once-off additional Cost of Living Concession payment of $243.90, which is being distributed to eligible households by the end of this month.
Both the Cost of Living Concession and increased water and sewer concessions are available to a range of eligible households, where a resident holds an eligible card, receives an eligible Centrelink payment or meets low income provisions.
The new concessions have been unveiled as the State Government marks the arrival of key water infrastructure to be installed as part of the record $1.5 billion infrastructure investment over the next four years.
The large trunk water mains, currently stored at Virginia, will be installed across Angle Vale, Riverlea and Roseworthy in coming months to get more water into new greenfield developments and enable ongoing housing growth.
For vision and images of the water mains, click here.
Quotes
Attributable to Peter Malinauskas
In this month’s State Budget, we made an active decision to put money in the pockets of our most vulnerable at the time they most need it.
Many of those households will be receiving $243.90 this fortnight.
And now we’re seeking to extend further support to those people to ensure they receive the support they need.
While the average metropolitan household will see their water bills increase by about $20 a quarter in 2024-25, the increase for an equivalent concession recipient will be limited to $8 a quarter.
Through the measures outlined in the Housing Roadmap, we’ve been able to limit bill increases for the average household to 3.5 per cent above inflation rather than 32 per cent.
The revenue will go to an urgent and vital task – delivering $1.5 billion in vital water infrastructure desperately needed for our state to build more homes.
And that work has already begun, with the water pipes already being delivered.
Attributable to Nick Champion
We can’t afford to waste a minute when it comes to delivering the $1.5 billion in water infrastructure needed to build more homes and address our housing crisis.
I am very pleased to see pipes being delivered to deliver much needed water supply to the northern suburbs.
As a Labor Government, we are also acting expeditiously to deliver concessions to those households who need them most.