Canberra homeowners won't be charged extra for water and sewerage next financial year, after the territory's monopoly supplier elected to freeze prices to soften the financial blow of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The ACT Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission announced the move on Friday morning, as it published its annual update on the maximum prices Icon Water were allowed to set for the following financial year.
In a statement, senior commissioner Joe Dimasi said Icon Water had decided to freeze combined water and sewerage prices at 2019-20 levels, in recognition of the financial shock of the COVID-19 crisis on households and the community.
Icon Water was allowed to increase prices 1.5 per cent in 2020-2021 under rules set by the commission.
Its decision not to impose a price hike means that the average household, which consumes about 200 litres of water each year, will be spared about $18 on their bill.
Non-residential customers will save between $50 and $410, according to the commission.
While it has frozen prices overall, Icon Water will increase fixed water supply charges to $146, up $6.20.
That increase is offset by a $6.20 reduction to fixed sewerage prices.
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
