Wednesday, 19 November 2025

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:39): (1148) My question is to the Minister for Water. Minister, given the widespread problems and customer distress caused by the Greater Western Water billing system fiasco, including inaccurate charges, delayed notices and poor communication with affected households, will you deliver a waiver of water bills more than four months old?

 Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Skills and TAFE, Minister for Water) (12:40): I thank Ms Bath for the question. Clearly Ms Bath did not listen to the ministers statement that I recently made here in the house, where essentially –

Melina Bath: On a point of order, President, I do not want the minister to inadvertently mislead the house. I have the ministers statement here, and she did not state anything that relates specifically to my question. I ask you to bring her back to the substance of the question.

The PRESIDENT: That is not a point of order. The minister has been going for 20 seconds, and I will ask her to continue.

Gayle TIERNEY: That is not true. In fact my ministers statement, the heart of it, was to indicate that two entities have got different interpretations of what should occur in respect to this issue, and I called upon both of them to meet and to work out a process so that we could have a process that is fair and so that customers would know as soon as possible what the billing arrangements will be. That was clear, it was succinct, and I do not understand why the member has wasted a question on this today.

Melina Bath: On a point of order, President, this was specifically about waiving bills that were more than four months old, so will the minister come back to answering that question?

The PRESIDENT: I believe the minister was being relevant.

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:42): I note the minister did not respond to my specific question. Minister, I ask: in a cost-of-living crisis, will you ensure that Greater Western Water customers do not wear the financial burden of this botched rollout?

 Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Skills and TAFE, Minister for Water) (12:42): As the media has reported, the ESC and the ombudsman have arrived at different interpretations of law in the ESC decision, and we have asked both of those organisations, who are independent of government, to sit down and work out a process. My understanding is that that has commenced. What we have also asked is that they work to protect customers in this situation. They have important roles to play in the oversight of the Victorian water sector. Again, I am asking for the ESC and the ombudsman’s office to work together for a speedy resolution so that customers can be protected and they understand what the process is.