Annual performance scorecard 2025-2026 (year 3)
Reporting on our agreed customer outcomes is a way we remain accountable to you.
Introduction
Barwon Water has a five-year plan, known as a Price Submission, that outlines our proposed water and sewerage prices, service standards, infrastructure and operational investments.
Our current Price Submission - from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2028 - was developed in partnership with our customers and community, following five years of community conversations.
As part of our Price Submission, we committed to:
- continually involving our customers and community in our decision making
- holding ourselves to account and honouring what we said we would deliver
- regularly ‘checking-in’ with our customers and community to ensure their values are aligned with our service; and
- ensuring our actions align with what our customers want us to do.
During 2025–2026 (the third year of our 2023–2028 five-year plan) we worked towards delivering four service outcomes our customers told us they most valued and expected:
- Outcome 1 - Safe, secure, sustainable water
- Outcome 4 - Trust, value and affordability
- Outcome 3 - Healthier environment
- Outcome 2 - Innovative, reliable services
Summary of results
The table below summarises our performance for 2025 - 2026, using a traffic light system for each outcome, including an overall rating for the year.
| Outcome | 2025 - 2026 |
|---|---|
| 1. Safe, secure, sustainable water | ⬤ |
| 2. Innovative, reliable services | ⬤ |
| 3. Healthier environment | ⬤ |
| 4. Trust, value and affordability | ⬤ |
| Overall performance rating for 2025 - 2026 | ⬤ |
Our annual performance scorecard provides a snapshot of our performance against these outcomes. Each outcome has numerous indicators and our performance for each measure is summarised using the traffic light system.
In 2025–2026 we met 34 of our 42 total measures. A further three were rated amber, and five were rated red.
The Essential Services Commission (ESC) uses the same traffic light methodology in tracking our performance. The ESC publishes its assessment in October, with our targets, results and detailed commentary available on the ESC website.
Customer engagement informed our performance report
Our Customer Advisory Committee (CAC) provides feedback and recommendations on our self-rating and areas for improvement.
CAC members advised that they were ‘comfortable’ or ‘very comfortable’ with our performance for 2025–2026, with one ‘neutral’ response for Outcome Two and Outcome Three. Overall, CAC members agreed performance should be green across all four outcomes.
Performance Highlights
Outcome 1: Water savings through customer partnerships
In year three of our Sustainable Water Use Plan, we exceeded our target to save a total of 786 ML through customer partnerships. Highlights included more than 5700 leak alerts; 112 washing machine rebates; 80 toilet leak repairs; and the operation of our collaborative Hydraloop greywater recycling trial.
Outcome 2: High customer satisfaction
We remained the highest ranked Victorian water corporation for customer satisfaction during the reporting period, according to the ESC’s own surveys. Customer satisfaction exceeded the target and reached 88%, supported by knowledgeable staff, strong first-contact resolution and clear communication.
Outcome 3: Putting recycled water to productive use
Additional recycled water allocated for productive use reached 550 ML, exceeding the current target and placing us on track to achieve the 1000 ML target by 2027-28. This growth has been supported by new residential connections in Armstrong Creek.
Outcome 4: Among the lowest bills in the country
Barwon Water's annual residential bill ranked among the lowest of comparable water businesses, exceeding the target ranking of finishing in the top five.
Performance Incentive Mechanism
In our Pricing Submission to the ESC in 2023, we included a ‘Performance Incentive Mechanism’. This means that if we do not meet four specific performance indicators aligned to our customer outcomes, we’ll return up to $15.6 million to our customers in the next pricing period (2028–2033). These measures are:
- Outcome 1 - Safe, secure, sustainable water
- Deliver 3,330 megalitres of extra water security for our region
- Outcome 2 - Innovative, reliable services
- 85% of customers who interact with us rate satisfaction as very good to excellent
- Outcome 3 - Healthier environment
- 3,700 megalitres per year entitlement returned to Moorabool River by 2025
- Outcome 4 - Trust, value and affordability
- 96% of customer can pay, or are supported to pay their bills before overdue notices are issued
The value to be returned will be determined if any targets are missed. For the 2025–2026 year, all PIM targets were successfully achieved, and no amount will be returned to customers.