TasWater

TasWater
Government enterprise
Industry Public utilities
Predecessors Ben Lomond Water, Cradle Mountain Water, Southern Water, Onstream
Founded July 2012 (2012-July), Tasmania, Australia
Area served
 Tasmania
Services Water and sewage supply
Total assets A$2,187.5 million
Owner Local government areas of Tasmania
Website taswater.com.au

TasWater is the Tasmanian Government state water and sewage services of Tasmania, founded in July 2013 by state legislation to consolidate the water supply businesses of Tasmania's local governments. It merged the operations of Ben Lomond Water, Cradle Mountain Water, Southern Water and Onstream[1] in response to a parliamentary inquiry that found failings with the then existing system.[2] Its predecessors had been founded in 2008 following an earlier reform of the water and sewage system of Tasmania.[3] TasWater has a checkered history since its foundation.

It is owned by the 29 local government areas of Tasmania.[4]

Controversy

Since TasWater's creation, it has been accused of overspending, bureaucracy, causing spiraling water price increases and decreasing the quality of Tasmanian water. It has had ongoing disputes with unions, who have criticised it for hiring outside consultants to investigate a staff member running over a duck,[5] spending AU$280,000 to hire a recruitment agency to conduct 100 interviews,[6] and spending $450,000 on advisers to create a new corporate structure for the company.[7] Extensive use of outside consultants led to a number of senior employees applying for a hearing with Fair Work Australia in June 2014[8] leading to union negotiations that broke down in August that year.[9]

The company was criticised for a sewage spill into the South Esk River in April 2014, which it failed to inform the Northern Midlands Council of until three days after it was reported by residents and would not inform the Mayor of when the spill had started.[10]

The company was the subject of a petition by residents of Circular Head Council, requesting control of local water services be returned to the Council. The petition was handed to TasWater by local alderman upon receiving 350 signatures.[11] Residents of Gretna presented a petition to the Premier of Tasmania in January 2015, demanding fixing of their water which had been dangerous for up to six years but degenerated even further recently. Gretna was at the time one of 21 towns in Tasmania with permanent danger warnings on their water supply.[12]

In February 2015 the state peak body for property investors, the Property Council of Australia - Tasmania branch, launched a call for the fixing of major water quality issues by paying less dividends to councils and returning profit to the companies maintenance.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "FAQs". treasury.tas.gov.au. Treasury Department of Tasmania. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "Councils back water merger". ABC News. Australia. 29 March 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "TasWater now up and pumping". PumpIndustry News. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  4. ↑ "Call to fix water with TasWater profits". The Mercury. 7 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  5. ↑ "TasWater launches inquiry into duck accident". The Advocate. 23 October 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "TasWater consultants: Unions claim company paid HR firm to conduct job interviews". ABC News. Australia. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  7. ↑ "TasWater defends spending nearly $450,000 on new corporate structure". ABC News. Australia. 6 August 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  8. ↑ "TasWater's fly-in consultants paid thousands". The Advocate. 30 June 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  9. ↑ "Further breakdown in TasWater, union talks". The Advocate. 4 August 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  10. ↑ "Polley blasts TasWater over raw sewage spill". The Examiner. 29 April 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  11. ↑ "Water price petition". Circular Head Chronicle. 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  12. ↑ "Gretna residents demand State Government action on water quality". The Mercury. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  13. ↑ "Call to fix water with TasWater profits". The Mercury. 7 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
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