❓ Hon Dee Margetts raises concerns about inequitable access to water rebates for pensioners/low-income earners not serviced by Water Corporation and questions the resourcing of the Office of Water Regulation. The Minister deflects responsibility for rebates to the Treasurer and denies the Auditor General's assessment of under-resourcing.
AnsweredQoN 1464Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
The panel of the recent review of the Water Services Coordination Act 1995 was asked to make recommendations that promote a regulatory regime for the water industry that protects the needs of customers of water service providers. (1) With 26 recommendations of this report still under consideration, how is the minister planning to address the ongoing inequitable situation faced by pensioners and low-income earners who are not customers of the Water Corporation and therefore ineligible for government rebates? (2) With the Auditor General’s recent assessment of the Office of Water Regulation as being drastically under-resourced in mind, does the minister plan to take a more active role in the endorsement of the pricing changes that private water supply companies make? Hon KIM CHANCE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank Hon Dee Margetts for her question. It may have been the way I heard the question, but it appeared that the question Hon Dee Margetts read was slightly different at the beginning from my version. Maybe I did not hear her accurately. The answer to the question in the written form is as follows - (1) The question of discounts to pensioners and low-income earners is not specific to the water industry alone. It comes within the wider responsibilities of the Treasurer, and recommendations in relation to this matter have been referred to him. (2) The Auditor General has not made any statement about the resource level of the Office of Water Regulation.
(1) With 26 recommendations of this report still under consideration, how is the minister planning to address the ongoing inequitable situation faced by pensioners and low-income earners who are not customers of the Water Corporation and therefore ineligible for government rebates? (2) With the Auditor General’s recent assessment of the Office of Water Regulation as being drastically under-resourced in mind, does the minister plan to take a more active role in the endorsement of the pricing changes that private water supply companies make? Hon KIM CHANCE replied : I thank Hon Dee Margetts for her question. It may have been the way I heard the question, but it appeared that the question Hon Dee Margetts read was slightly different at the beginning from my version. Maybe I did not hear her accurately. The answer to the question in the written form is as follows - (1) The question of discounts to pensioners and low-income earners is not specific to the water industry alone. It comes within the wider responsibilities of the Treasurer, and recommendations in relation to this matter have been referred to him. (2) The Auditor General has not made any statement about the resource level of the Office of Water Regulation.
(2) With the Auditor General’s recent assessment of the Office of Water Regulation as being drastically under-resourced in mind, does the minister plan to take a more active role in the endorsement of the pricing changes that private water supply companies make? Hon KIM CHANCE replied : I thank Hon Dee Margetts for her question. It may have been the way I heard the question, but it appeared that the question Hon Dee Margetts read was slightly different at the beginning from my version. Maybe I did not hear her accurately. The answer to the question in the written form is as follows - (1) The question of discounts to pensioners and low-income earners is not specific to the water industry alone. It comes within the wider responsibilities of the Treasurer, and recommendations in relation to this matter have been referred to him. (2) The Auditor General has not made any statement about the resource level of the Office of Water Regulation.
Hon KIM CHANCE replied : I thank Hon Dee Margetts for her question. It may have been the way I heard the question, but it appeared that the question Hon Dee Margetts read was slightly different at the beginning from my version. Maybe I did not hear her accurately. The answer to the question in the written form is as follows - (1) The question of discounts to pensioners and low-income earners is not specific to the water industry alone. It comes within the wider responsibilities of the Treasurer, and recommendations in relation to this matter have been referred to him. (2) The Auditor General has not made any statement about the resource level of the Office of Water Regulation.
I thank Hon Dee Margetts for her question. It may have been the way I heard the question, but it appeared that the question Hon Dee Margetts read was slightly different at the beginning from my version. Maybe I did not hear her accurately. The answer to the question in the written form is as follows - (1) The question of discounts to pensioners and low-income earners is not specific to the water industry alone. It comes within the wider responsibilities of the Treasurer, and recommendations in relation to this matter have been referred to him. (2) The Auditor General has not made any statement about the resource level of the Office of Water Regulation.
(1) The question of discounts to pensioners and low-income earners is not specific to the water industry alone. It comes within the wider responsibilities of the Treasurer, and recommendations in relation to this matter have been referred to him. (2) The Auditor General has not made any statement about the resource level of the Office of Water Regulation.
(2) The Auditor General has not made any statement about the resource level of the Office of Water Regulation.
(1) With 26 recommendations of this report still under consideration, how is the minister planning to address the ongoing inequitable situation faced by pensioners and low-income earners who are not customers of the Water Corporation and therefore ineligible for government rebates? (2) With the Auditor General’s recent assessment of the Office of Water Regulation as being drastically under-resourced in mind, does the minister plan to take a more active role in the endorsement of the pricing changes that private water supply companies make? Hon KIM CHANCE replied : I thank Hon Dee Margetts for her question. It may have been the way I heard the question, but it appeared that the question Hon Dee Margetts read was slightly different at the beginning from my version. Maybe I did not hear her accurately. The answer to the question in the written form is as follows - (1) The question of discounts to pensioners and low-income earners is not specific to the water industry alone. It comes within the wider responsibilities of the Treasurer, and recommendations in relation to this matter have been referred to him. (2) The Auditor General has not made any statement about the resource level of the Office of Water Regulation.
(2) With the Auditor General’s recent assessment of the Office of Water Regulation as being drastically under-resourced in mind, does the minister plan to take a more active role in the endorsement of the pricing changes that private water supply companies make? Hon KIM CHANCE replied : I thank Hon Dee Margetts for her question. It may have been the way I heard the question, but it appeared that the question Hon Dee Margetts read was slightly different at the beginning from my version. Maybe I did not hear her accurately. The answer to the question in the written form is as follows - (1) The question of discounts to pensioners and low-income earners is not specific to the water industry alone. It comes within the wider responsibilities of the Treasurer, and recommendations in relation to this matter have been referred to him. (2) The Auditor General has not made any statement about the resource level of the Office of Water Regulation.
Hon KIM CHANCE replied : I thank Hon Dee Margetts for her question. It may have been the way I heard the question, but it appeared that the question Hon Dee Margetts read was slightly different at the beginning from my version. Maybe I did not hear her accurately. The answer to the question in the written form is as follows - (1) The question of discounts to pensioners and low-income earners is not specific to the water industry alone. It comes within the wider responsibilities of the Treasurer, and recommendations in relation to this matter have been referred to him. (2) The Auditor General has not made any statement about the resource level of the Office of Water Regulation.
I thank Hon Dee Margetts for her question. It may have been the way I heard the question, but it appeared that the question Hon Dee Margetts read was slightly different at the beginning from my version. Maybe I did not hear her accurately. The answer to the question in the written form is as follows - (1) The question of discounts to pensioners and low-income earners is not specific to the water industry alone. It comes within the wider responsibilities of the Treasurer, and recommendations in relation to this matter have been referred to him. (2) The Auditor General has not made any statement about the resource level of the Office of Water Regulation.
(1) The question of discounts to pensioners and low-income earners is not specific to the water industry alone. It comes within the wider responsibilities of the Treasurer, and recommendations in relation to this matter have been referred to him. (2) The Auditor General has not made any statement about the resource level of the Office of Water Regulation.
(2) The Auditor General has not made any statement about the resource level of the Office of Water Regulation.
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