Aussies paying more for less water
Australians are using less water, but they are paying more for it, new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows.
Figures from the ABS’ annual water account show that in 2013-14 Australians used 19,000 gigalitres of water, which is equivalent to 38 Sydney Harbours. This is down six per cent on the previous year. However, the average household water bill has jumped 12 per cent to $584 a year, despite a slight decrease in the volume of water used.
"In 2013-14 Australian households spent more than $5 billion dollars on water, paying an average of $3.08 per thousand litres,” Mark Lound, ABS spokesman, said.
The biggest price increase in household water was New South Wales, which rose by 27 per cent in the same period, and Victoria, which rose by 24 per cent.
Former chair of the now-defunct National Water Commission, Karlene Maywald, told The Sydney Morning Herald the price rises were due to efforts to secure water supplies.
"As a consequence of the last drought there is a lot more infrastructure being built to provide greater water security," she said.
"While people might be consuming less water, which is a very good thing, the pipes, the pumps, the dams, the desalination plants, are still there and still need to be paid for.
"And as our cities grow there's a need for more water, and that puts pressure on the delivery of infrastructure."
Agriculture accounts for 62 per cent of Australia's total water consumption, with most of the water being use for irrigation.
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