IPART review of SCA prices - The Hon Katrina Hodgkinson MP - 27 May 2011
16 September 2011
Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson, today advised that the Sydney Catchment Authority (SCA) has submitted its proposal to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) regarding its future pricing framework.
Ms Hodgkinson said she was pleased that the SCA had worked hard to deliver efficiencies and minimise the impact of any price increases on Sydney Water customers.
“The SCA manages the dams and catchments and supplies more than 80 per cent of the water consumed by Sydney Water customers.
“The SCA has achieved significant efficiency savings over the current price period and has placed itself in a position to limit price increases.
“It is seeking to maintain its operating expenditure equivalent to its 2008/09 level of $80 million a year and keep price increases as close to the Consumer Price Index as possible,” Ms Hodgkinson said.
Katrina Hodgkinson said that the SCA’s charge to Sydney Water for water from its dams would represent an average increase of only 0.3 per cent of the total bill for Sydney Water customers.
“The SCA has also presented a modest capital works program and identified areas where further efficiencies can be made.
“Over the current IPART pricing cycle, the SCA delivered high quality water while working to reduce costs.
“It undertook a review of its functions, structure and business systems, which has positioned the SCA well for the commencement of this next price cycle.
“I am pleased it will continue to work to identify savings,” Ms Hodgkinson said.
IPART reviews the SCA’s prices every three to five years and considers a range of issues, including the cost to the SCA of managing and protecting the health of the catchments as well as the dams and infrastructure that provide the water.
The review by IPART is considering submissions from a range of stakeholders and will set the SCA’s water sales price from July 2012.
A copy of the SCA’s submission will be available on IPART’s website next week.
