Planning future water and sewerage services for 2028-33
We're planning future water and sewerage services and want to understand what matters most to our customers and communities.
Have your say
Every 5 years we prepare a price submission for the Essential Services Commission. Our next price submission will shape the services, commitments and prices that apply from 1 July 2028 to 30 June 2033.
Planning with our customers and community
Customer and community engagement is now underway and will continue as we develop our plan. We’re hearing from customers in different ways, including through surveys, research and our Citizens’ Jury. This helps us understand what customers value, the choices and challenges we need to consider, and what should be prioritised over the next 5 years.
Our Citizens’ Jury
In August 2026, our Citizens’ Jury began, bringing together a diverse group of 40 customers to consider an important question:
How should we determine the balance between prices and services for our customers, community and the environment, now and in the future?
Jury members are meeting across 6 sessions from August to December 2026, with a recall session in March 2027.
They’re hearing from experts, different perspectives, asking questions, considering evidence and exploring the choices involved in planning future water and sewerage services.
They’ll then develop recommendations for us to consider as we prepare our plan. Customer feedback and the Jury’s recommendations will be considered alongside evidence, regulatory requirements, including ensuring our expenditure is prudent and efficient, and the broader needs of our customers and community.
We’ll report back on what we hear and explain how customer and community input has shaped our planning.
Citizens' Jury - Price Submission 2028
What is a price submission?
A price submission is a 5-year plan that outlines:
- The services we will deliver.
- The levels of service customers can expect.
- The investment required to maintain and improve infrastructure.
- The prices customers will pay for water and sewerage services.
We submit this plan to Victoria’s independent regulator, the Essential Services Commission (ESC). The ESC reviews it to ensure services and prices are fair and in the long-term interests of customers.
The ESC makes the final decision on approved prices and service commitments.
Why planning ahead matters
As Melbourne continues to grow, we’re rising to challenges including population growth, ageing infrastructure and climate variability to deliver essential services that ensure a reliable water supply and sewerage system now and into the future.
Long-term planning helps us:
- Maintain safe and reliable water and sewerage services.
- Upgrade and renew infrastructure before issues arise.
- Manage costs responsibly over time.
- Support resilience and sustainable communities now and into the future.
How does the price submission process work?
Every 5 years we go through a structured planning and review process.
Understanding future needs
We assess long-term trends and pressures, including population growth, climate conditions and infrastructure requirements.
Listening to customers and stakeholders
We ask customers, community groups and stakeholders what matters most and how services should be delivered in the future.
Developing a plan
We use evidence and feedback from customers and the community to shape service commitments and investment priorities.
Independent review
We submit our plan to Victoria’s independent regulator, the Essential Services Commission (ESC), which reviews it to ensure services and prices are fair and reasonable.
Final decision
The ESC approves the services and prices that apply for the 5-year period.
This process makes sure the plan is informed by customer priorities and evidence and is subject to independent review.
Key milestones for our 2028-33 Price Submission
Our planning takes place over 2 years, here’s an overview of the proposed timeline:
 | Early 2026Early planning |
 | August 2026 - March 2027Customer and community engagement, including our Citizen's Jury |
 | June 2027Draft plan released |
 | September 2027Plan submitted for independent review by ESC |
 | October 2027 - March 2028Independent determination with community engagements |
 | June 2028Final decision published |
 | 1 July 2028New plan begins |
You help shape the plan
Customer and community input is an important part of this process.
Your feedback helps shape the priorities and service commitments included in our proposal before decisions are finalised.
There are different ways you can choose to be involved:
- Follow the progress of our Citizen's Jury on social media or our Engage site.
- Take part in surveys or engagement activities.
- Register to receive updates.
What happened last time
Our current 5-year plan (2023–2028) was shaped through extensive customer and stakeholder engagement.
Customer feedback informed our service commitments and performance measures, which are independently reviewed each year.
We’re currently delivering services under this plan and report publicly on how we’re tracking against our commitments.
We’ll build on that experience as we develop our next plan.