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Our Performance in 2018-19

Report to customers

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’re doing so far.

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. We are committed to achieving all targets.

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 have achieved all of our outcome commitments for 2018-19.

Gippsland Water customer values - Summary table

Outcome

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

1. Customer value: Do your job well


Achieved

-

-

-

-

2. Customer value: Be easy to deal with


Achieved

-

-

-

-

3. Customer value: Be affordable and fair


Achieved

-

-

-

-

4. Customer value: Prepare and protect


Achieved

-

-

-

-

5. Customer value: Be Involved


Achieved

-

-

-

-

Overall


Achieved

-

-

-

-


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’ll pay a financial penalty to a community fund.

Compliance with our Guaranteed Service Levels

Guaranteed Service Level

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

1. Customer value: Do your job well




  • Water quality always meets the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Achieved----
  • Sewer spills within a house caused by Gippsland Water 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

----


To find out more about results across our five customer values, click on the links below.

For more information on our Guaranteed Service Levels click here.

For information on our major projects click here.

  • We achieved all of our targets during 2018-19, continuing to provide a very safe and reliable water and sewerage service to our customers.


Outcome 1: Customer value – Do your job well

Outcome

Units

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

Unplanned water supply interruptions restored within 5 hours

Percentage

Target

98

98

98

98

98

Actual

98.3

-

-

-

-

Average time to rectify a sewer blockage less than 95 minutes

Minutes

Target

<95

95

95

95

95

Actual

73.82

-

-

-

-

Sewer spills contained within 5 hours

Percentage

Target

98

98

98

98

98

Actual

100

-

-

-

-

Population receiving water meeting E.Coli standards

Percentage

Target

100

100

100

100

100

Actual

100

-

-

-

-

Number of sewer spills within a house not contained within 1 hour.

Number

Target

0

0

0

0

0

Actual

0

-

-

-

-

Number of planned interruptions going over advised times.

Number

Target

0

0

0

0

0

Actual

0

-

-

-

-

Number of Safe Drinking Water Act non-compliances (water sampling and audit)

Number

Target

0

0

0

0

0

Actual

0

-

-

-

-


  • This is 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.

Outcome2: Customer value – Be easy to deal with

Outcome

Units

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

Complaints investigated by the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria

Number per 1000 customers

Target

0.03

0.03

0.03

0.03

0.03

Actual

0

-

-

-

-

Contacts are resolved at the first point of contact

Percentage

Target

88

88

88

88

88

Actual

96

-

-

-

-

Affected customers receiving a minimum of 5 days notification prior to a planned interruption taking place

Percentage

Target

100

100

100%

100%

100%

Actual

100

-

-

-

-

Customers receive a response to correspondence within 5 days from receipt

Percentage

Target

100

100

100

100

100

Actual

100

-

-

-

-



  • We are delivering 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.

Outcome 3: Customer value – Be affordable and fair

Outcome

Units

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

Prices contained to CPI or less

Yes/No

Target

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Actual

Yes

-

-

-

-

Customers in hardship program with water supply restricted for non-payment

Number

Target

0

0

0

0

0

Actual

0

-

-

-

-

Percentage of hardship customers paying through instalments

Percentage

Target

>55

55

55

55

55

Actual

59

-

-

-

-

Percentage of customers over 120 days paying through instalments

Percentage

Target

>23

23

23

23

23

Actual

28

-

-

-

-





  • 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 are on track to deliver the actions in our 2017 Urban Water Strategy. However, one of these actions, the Boisdale Aquifer long-term assessment requires 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.

Outcome 4: Customer value - Prepare and protect

Outcome

Units

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

Total CO2 equivalent emissions

Tonnes

(000's)

Target

43.1

43.6

43.7

38.6

36.7

Actual

43.73

-

-

-

-

Biosolids reuse

Percentage

Target

100

100

100

100

100

Actual

100

-

-

-

-

Deliver all actions outlined in Gippsland Water’s

2017 Urban Water Strategy

Yes/No

Target

On track

On track

On track

On track

Yes

Actual

On track

-

-

-

-

Supply reliability of 95% (Water restrictions no

more prevalent than 1 in 20 years)

Percentage

Target

95

95

95

95

95

Actual

95

-

-

-

-

Sanctions issued by the Environment Protection

Authority or the Department of Health and Human Services

Number

Target

0

0

0

0

0

Actual

0

-

-

-

-


  • We 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.

Outcome 5: Customer value – Be involved

Outcome

Units

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

Operating and capital expenditure spent in

Gippsland Water region – develop this measure by June 2020.

Yes/No

Target

On track

Yes

To be

established

Actual

On track

-

-

-

-

Funding provided for community benefit projects

$ value

Target

$30,000

$30,000

$30,000

$30,000

$30,000

Actual

Achieved

-

-

-

-



About Us

Gippsland Water supplies fresh clean drinking water to more than 70,000 customers, and wastewater services to more than 63,000 customers across an area of more than 5,000 square kilometres. It maintains a $1 billion infrastructure network, which includes more than 2,000 kilometres of water mains, 15 water treatment plants, over 1,700 kilometres of sewer mains and 14 wastewater treatment plants.

Read More

Free drinking water initiative

Did you know that you can access free tap water at refill locations across the Latrobe Valley?

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Contact Us

55 Hazelwood Road, Traralgon, VIC, 3844

Phone: 1800 050 500

Fax: (03) 5174 0103

Interpreter service: 1313 450


TTY: 1800 555 677

Email: contactus@gippswater.com.au