Divisional Operations – Key Deliverables and Achievements

References and Research Division

Under the Economic Regulation Authority Act 2003 –

To undertake inquiries referred to the Authority by the State Government on matters related to regulated and non–regulated industries.

In its 2004–05 Annual Report, the Authority committed to the following work:

To deliver the Final Report on the Urban Water and Wastewater Pricing Inquiry to Government on 30 September 2005.
To deliver the Final Report on the Cost of Supplying Bulk Potable Water to Kalgoorlie–Boulder to Government on 16 September 2005.

The Final Report on the Urban Water and Wastewater Pricing Inquiry was delivered to the Treasurer on 4 November 2005.
The Final Report on the Inquiry into the Cost of Supplying Bulk Potable Water to Kalgoorlie–Boulder was delivered to the Treasurer on 14 October 2005.

More specifically, the following key achievements were accomplished in the area of references and research:

On 15 June 2004, the Treasurer directed the Authority to undertake an inquiry into urban water and wastewater pricing. The Final Report on the Inquiry was delivered to the Treasurer on 4 November 2005 and subsequently published on 30 November 2005. It presented the Authority's recommendations on the pricing structures and tariff levels of the Water Corporation's urban water and wastewater services and the Bunbury and Busselton Water Boards' water services.
On 13 January 2005, the Treasurer directed the Authority to inquire into the cost of supplying bulk potable water to Kalgoorlie–Boulder. The Inquiry's Final Report was delivered to the Treasurer on 14 October 2005 and subsequently tabled in Parliament on 9 November 2005. The Final Report compares the cost of transporting water from Perth to Kalgoorlie–Boulder to the cost of the proposal by United Utilities Australia to transport desalinated seawater by pipeline from Esperance to Kalgoorlie–Boulder.
In October 2005, the Authority was directed by the Treasurer to undertake an inquiry into country water and wastewater pricing. On 31 January 2006, the Authority published a Draft Report on its Inquiry and the Final Report was delivered to Government on 23 June 2006.