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As part of our pricing submission to the Essential Services Commission we spoke with you, our customers, about what you would like from us and put together a plan for 2018-23. We promised we’d let you know how we’re delivering on that plan. This is an update on how we did.
2018-19 was the first year of our current customer commitments and we put a plan in place to stabilise bills while delivering safe and reliable water and wastewater services.
Based on input from our customers, we set ambitious targets for ourselves and we’re very pleased to report that we met all five of our outcomes, especially against the backdrop of a hotter and drier year which put extra strain on delivering water and sewerage services. Our targets and result for each of the five service outcomes that customers told us were the most valued and expected from us are summarised below. Overall we achieved all of our outcome commitments for 2018-19.
Legend
The following colours apply to outcomes in our performance tables:
| Achieved | Partially achieved | Not achieved |
| Outcome | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Customer value: Do your job well | |||||
| 2. Customer value: Be easy to deal with | |||||
| 3. Customer value: Be affordable and fair | |||||
| 4. Customer value: Prepare and protect | |||||
| 5. Customer value: Be involved | |||||
| Overall |
Customer values - summary table
Within the five customer values are seven key goals that our customers highlighted as very important. For each of these, we agreed on Guaranteed Service Levels. To show our commitment we also agreed that if we don’t meet any of the Guaranteed Service Levels, we’d pay a financial penalty to a community fund.
Compliance with our Guaranteed Service Levels
| Guaranteed Service Level | 18-19 | 19-20 | 20-21 | 21-22 | 22-23 |
| 1. Customer value: Do your job well | |||||
| Water quality always meets the Safe Drinking Water Act. | Achieved | ||||
| Sewer spills within a house caused by us will be contained within one hour. | Achieved | ||||
| Planned interruptions will be carried out within the time we said. | Achieved | ||||
| 2. Customer value: Be easy to deal with | |||||
| Affected customers will be advised of planned interruptions. | Achieved | ||||
| 3. Customer value: Be affordable and fair | |||||
| Services are maintained to customers in hardship. | Achieved | ||||
| 4. Customer value: Prepare and protect | |||||
| We will not harm the environment by taking more water than we are allowed or releasing unsuitable water to streams | Achieved | ||||
| 5. Customer value: Be involved | |||||
| We will commit at least $30,000 each year to community benefit programs | Achieved |
Our results
| Output | Unit | 16-17 | 17-18 | 18-19 | 19-20 | 21-22 | 22-23 | ||
| a. Unplanned water supply interruptions restored within 5 hours | Percentage | Target | 98% | 98% | 98% | 98% | 98% | 98% | 98% |
| Actual | 98.8% | 98.62% | 98.3% | ||||||
| b. Average time to rectify a sewer blockage | Minutes | Target | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 |
| Actual | 72.7 | 75.47 | 73.82 | ||||||
| c. Sewer spills contained within 5 hours | Percentage | Target | 98% | 98% | 98% | 98% | 98% | 98% | 98% |
| Actual | 100% | 100% | 100% | ||||||
| d. Population receiving water meeting E.Coli standards | Percentage | Target | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Actual | 100% | 100% | 100% | ||||||
| e. Number of sewer spills within a house not contained within 1 hour. | Number | Target | NA | NA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Actual | NA | NA | 0 | ||||||
| f. Number of planned interruptions going over advised times. | Number | Target | NA | NA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Actual | NA | NA | 0 | ||||||
| g. Number of Safe Drinking Water Act non-compliances (water sampling and audit) | Number | Target | NA | NA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Actual | NA | NA | 0 |
Comment
We achieved all of our targets during 2018-19, continuing to provide a very safe and reliable water and sewerage service to our customers.
| Output | Unit | 16-17 | 17-18 | 18-19 | 19-20 | 20-21 | 21-22 | 22-23 | |
| a. Complaints investigated by the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria | Number per 1000 customers | Target | 0.08 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.03 |
| Actual | 0.06 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| b. Contacts are resolved at the first point of contact | Percentage | Target | NA | NA | 88% | 88% | 88% | 88% | 88% |
| Actual | NA | NA | 96% | ||||||
| c. Affected customers receiving a minimum of 5 days notification prior to a planned interruption taking place | Percentage | Target | NA | NA | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Actual | NA | NA | 100% | ||||||
| d. Customers receive a response to correspondence within 5 days from receipt | Percentage | Target | NA | NA | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Actual | NA | NA | 100% |
Comment
This was our second consecutive year that no complaints required investigation by the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria.
The introduction and implementation of our complaints management framework and policy has contributed to our good results, streamlining our processes and improving customer response times and experience.
| Output | Unit | 16-17 | 17-18 | 18-19 | 19-20 | 20-21 | 21-22 | 22-23 | |
| a. Prices contained to CPI + 0.57% per annum until 30 June 2023 | Yes/No | Target | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Actual | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
| b. Customers in hardship program with water supply restricted for non-payment | Number | Target | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Actual | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| c. Hardship customers paying through instalments | Percentage | Target | NA | NA | 55% | 55% | 55% | 55% | 55% |
| Actual | NA | NA | 59% | ||||||
| d. Customers over 120 days paying through instalments | Percentage | Target | NA | NA | 23% | 23% | 23% | 23% | 23% |
| Actual | NA | NA | 28% |
Comment
We delivered on our promise to keep prices stable.
Our continued focus on those most vulnerable in our community, and our continuing management of trade debtors, has seen an increase in the number of customers entering into payment plans during 2018-19.
Our contact centre team’s focus on early identification of customers entering difficulty saw the number of customers entering our hardship program rise this year – from around 1,228 to 2,164. Most of these customers are now paying their bills in instalments, helping to manage their bills and avoid their water service being restricted.
We successfully implemented our new customer information system, putting customers at the centre of everything we do.
Work has commenced to provide you with new online service options.
Planning is underway to trial a new, more flexible pricing structure to give you more control over your bills.
| Output | Unit | 16-17 | 17-18 | 18-19 | 19-20 | 20-21 | 21-22 | 22-23 | |
| a. Total CO2 equivalent emissions | Tonnes (000's) | Target | 70.0 | 70.0 | 43.1 | 43.6 | 43.7 | 38.6 | 36.7 |
| Actual | 37.5 | 37.88 | 43.73 | ||||||
| b. Biosolids reuse | Percentage | Target | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Actual | 100% | 100% | 100% | ||||||
| c. Deliver all actions outlined in Gippsland Water's 2017 Urban Water Strategy | Yes/No | Target | NA | NA | On track | On track | On track | On track | Yes |
| Actual | NA | NA | On track | ||||||
| d. Supply reliability of 95% (Water restrictions no more prevalent than 1 in 20 years) | Percentage | Target | NA | NA | 95% | 95% | 95% | 95% | 95% |
| Actual | NA | NA | 95% | ||||||
| 3. Penalties issued by the Environment Protection Authority or the Department of Health and Human Services | Number | Target | NA | NA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Actual | NA | NA | 0 |
Comment
Over the 2018-19 financial year we slightly exceeded our emissions target, producing 43,725 tCO2-e which was above the target of 43,100 tCO2-e by 625 tCO2-e, or 1.45%.
This can be attributed to the Warragul desludging event which produced roughly 6,000 tCO2-e due to increased volumes of sludge being removed than originally anticipated. This project was required to ensure the treatment plant can continue to treat the wastewater coming into the plant in accordance with our EPA licence requirements. While this individual output is rated partially achieved, overall we have achieved our targets.
We were on track to deliver the actions in our 2017 Urban Water Strategy. However, one of these actions, the Boisdale Aquifer long-term assessment required input from other organisations, such as DELWP and Southern Rural Water. Therefore, at this point, we have not yet commenced work on this action. We expect this will be addressed through the Victorian Government’s next Regional Sustainable Water Strategy.
We avoided the need to impose water restrictions in our area in 2018-19. Average demand levels across all of our systems remained below the current climate baseline yield as estimated in our Urban Water Strategy, at a 95% annual liability level of service.
| Output | Unit | 16-17 | 17-18 | 18-19 | 19-20 | 20-21 | 21-22 | 22-23 | |
| a. Operating and capital expenditure spent in Gippsland Water region - develop this measure by June 2020. (Targets can then be established for the subsequent years of the regulatory period.) | Yes/No | Target | NA | NA | On track | 60% | 53% | 57% | 60% |
| Actual | NA | NA | On track | ||||||
| b. Funding provided for community benefit projects | $ value | Target | NA | NA | $30,000 | $30,000 | $30,000 | $30,000 | $30,000 |
| Actual | NA | NA | $49,200 |
Comment
We've continued to contribute to the Gippsland economy by directly employing 306 staff, including 22 at our local customer contact centre.
Through the Victorian Government’s Local Jobs First policy, we were able to reinvest around $3.5 million into local service providers. Another three contracts were awarded, resulting in 10 roles and two apprenticeships being created in our local area.
We achieved our target of providing funding of $30,000 towards community projects, with a range of water-related sponsorship contributions awarded through our Community Support Program including Centenary Rotary House, Bug Blitz Inc. and Mirboo North Golf Club, as well as water fountain donations and other one-off community contributions throughout the year.
Some 61 local schools and 2,881 local students, industry and community members were involved in our education program.