Annual Watermark

How we performed

Following record results in 2022-23, Westernport Water continued its strong performance by meeting all customer commitments relating to the delivery of high-quality drinking water. All water quality samples and audits were compliant with legislation and very few, only 0.15 customers per every 100 customers, raised a complaint about their water quality. Approximately 7 out of every 10 customers stated that they were satisfied with their drinking water.

Customer Assessment Panel

Outcome 3: Resolve sewer blockages quickly

We understand that when something happens to our sewer network, customers expect us to respond promptly and resolve the issue as soon as possible. Over the last 12 months, we were able to cut our response and resolution times in half. From the moment we are notified, we will have a crew arrive in 28 minutes on average and have the problem fixed well within two hours.

Customer Assessment Panel

“Westernport Water has done an excellent job in addressing sewer blockages. The Panel recognises the challenges posed by aging infrastructure, yet despite these challenges, Westernport Water’s performance has been impressive. Halving the response and resolution times is a significant achievement, and it’s clear they are putting in the effort to address issues promptly.

We were also impressed by their innovative use of technology, such as CCTV inspections of pipes, which helps ensure that problems are identified and dealt with effectively. We believe that the low number of blockages in the year is a result of their excellent maintenance practices.

The Panel note that there are challenges with aging infrastructure, however Westernport Water is doing well in this Outcome and their efforts in resolving sewer blockages quickly are appreciated”.

OuR PERFORMANCE	2023-24	2022-23	Target 2023-28
Average time (min) to respond to Sewer Blockages	28.26	58.1	<35
Average time (min) to rectify Sewer Blockages	107.08	229.4	<150

Outcome 4: Keep water interruptions to a minimum

Water interruptions are a necessary part of maintaining our network. Whether for proactive maintenance reasons, such as flushing the network to ensure our water mains remain clean, or for responding to bursts or leaks. Unfortunately, Westernport Water was unable to meet its target to limit the average duration of interruptions to 85 minutes. A single unplanned water main burst that was caused by third party damage to our main affected over 400 customers for 7.5 hours. Without this incident, our average would have been 87 minutes instead of 139 minutes. Westernport Water continues to focus on initiatives to minimise the impact of water interruptions on our customers.

Customer Assessment Panel

“The Panel recognises that Westernport Water has not met its target in ‘Average duration of unplanned water supply interruptions’. The Panel notes that in this instance the average metric was skewed by one significant incident that was beyond the corporation’s control. We also recognise that in this instance, Westernport Water chose to prioritise water quality and long-term improvements, which impacted their performance in this area. We encourage Westernport Water to keep investing in repair and renewal efforts and to minimise interruptions.

Westernport Water’s communication about water interruptions is a strong point, with clear explanations about ongoing infrastructure upgrades. Maintaining or improving communications may help to manage customer expectations around supply interruptions.

Overall, while there is room for improvement, the Panel feels that Westernport Water is performing well and should be recognised for its commitment to water quality and infrastructure improvements”.

How we performed

Overall, customers have provided positive feedback in relation to dealing with Westernport Water. 92% of customers that dealt with us recently stated that we were easy to deal with and we received half of the number of complaints that we did last year. We narrowly missed our target average response time to ‘Priority 2 bursts and leaks’ by 1.4 minutes.

Customer Assessment Panel

“Westernport Water performs well overall in the Outcome ‘Be there when I need you’, but the Panel has some concerns that the target for average response time to Priority 2 bursts and leaks has not been met.

The Panel recognises that using an average as a reporting metric is problematic, and a suggestion is to report the number of responses meeting the required response time rather than the average time. The Panel also suggests better promotion of existing reporting tools like Snap Send Solve, or to create an app or a text-based urgent contact system to make it easier for customers to report issues.

Despite these suggestions, the Panel notes the great achievements of Westernport Water with a high customer satisfaction rate of 92% and halving the number of complaints year-on-year. The panel appreciated Westernport Water’s helpfulness and willingness to address issues.

Though improvements can be made in response times, overall Westernport Water’s performance in ‘being there when needed’ is strong and appreciated”.

Our Performance	2023-4	2022-23	Target 2023-28
Number of customer complaints  (per 100 customers)	.29	.58	< 0.6
Average response time (min) to Priority 1 bursts and leaks	6	0	< 30
Average response time (min) to Priority 2 bursts and leaks	36.38	39.2	< 35
Customer satisfaction with ‘Ease of Effort’  (% of survey respondents)	92%	88%	> 89%

How we performed

Westernport Water continued to help customers in need throughout the year, awarding 198 hardship grants and facilitating 394 utility relief grant payments. Overall, Westernport Water connected customers to over $1M in support, including concessions, rebates, relief grants and high usage leak allowances.

Customer Assessment Panel

“Westernport Water has performed well in ‘keeping essential services affordable’. The Panel acknowledges that Westernport Water has met its targets providing hardship grants and utility relief payments and commends them for providing these supports. The Panel recommends improved communication to all customers about these supports.

The Panel has some concerns about how the metrics on grants align with the broader outcome of keeping essential services affordable and note that the metrics do not measure affordability for all customers. The Panel recommends increased transparency, communication, and improvements on metrics to capture their performance on affordability more broadly.

Overall, the Panel applauds Westernport Water for its efforts to assist those in hardship and for maintaining affordability amid rising costs of living”.