IPART administers operating licences for three public water utilities and also licences and manages audits and compliance for alternative water utilities in NSW under the WIC Act.
IPART’s Compliance and Enforcement Policy applies to the public water utilities and alternative water utilities under the WIC Act.
Public water licensing
IPART administers the Operating Licences for Sydney Water, Hunter Water and Water NSW. The licences set the terms and conditions that each utility must adhere to in order to:
- protect consumers
- ensure service quality and reliable supply
- assess the impact of the utility on the environment
These licences are regularly reviewed at intervals of no longer than 5 years and are annually audited with IPART setting audit guidelines and reporting manuals which include reporting annually on water utility performance. We also coordinate the collection of some NSW data for the BOM.
Alternate water utility licensing (WIC Act)
IPART also licences and manages audits and compliance for alternate water utilities in NSW under the Water Industry Competition Act (WIC Act). The Department of Primary Industries administers the WIC Act and related policy development.
Learn more about our role in alternate water utility licensing under the WIC Act.