Rebate for Fixed Water Charges 2009-10

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Purpose
To provide water rate relief for farmers who are receiving less than 30% allocation of their entitlement on 1 December 2009.

Details
Rural water users receiving less than 30% allocation of their normal entitlement based on the 1 December 2009 water allocation announcement will be eligible for a rebate of up to $1000 on their fixed water charges, with a 50% rebate on any balance above $1000.

For bills with a fixed water charge of up to $1000 the charge will be paid in full. For bills with a fixed water charge of over $1000, the rebate will pay the first $1000 in full and 50% of the balance, e.g. a bill with a fixed water charge of $2000 will get a rebate of $1500.

Publicly listed companies are not eligible for the rebate.

No rebates are available for drainage or drainage diversion charges.

The rebate only applies to fixed water charges and will apply to each separately serviced property based on each water corporation’s current billing practices.

This means a farming enterprise may be eligible for a number of rebates if, under the current charging arrangements, it owns a number of separately serviced properties.

The assistance will be provided in line with each water corporation’s current billing practices and water corporations will automatically adjust their customers’ accounts.

Who is eligible?
Eligible rural water customers include:

• Irrigators supplied by regulated systems1 who are receiving less than 30% of their normal entitlement based on the 1 December 2009 water allocation announcement.
• Regulated surface water diverters receiving less than 30% of their normal entitlement based on the 1 December 2009 announcement.
• Stock and domestic customers supplied by regulated systems that are operating at less than 30% of their normal allocation based on the 1 December 2009 announcement.
• Groundwater diverters within the Water Supply and Protection Areas2 who are receiving less than an amount equivalent to 30% of their normal entitlement as at 1 December 2009.
• Unregulated surface water 3 diverters likely to receive less than 30% of their water as assessed by the water corporation on 1 December 2009.