Water supply and sanitation in Australia

Australia: Water and sanitation
Data
Water coverage (broad definition)	100%
Sanitation coverage (broad definition)	90%
Continuity of supply (%)	Mostly continuous
Average residential water use (l/p/d)	191 liter/person/day (2007)[1]
Average domestic water and sewer bill	A$350/month or US$270/month[2]
Share of household metering	n/a
Annual investment in WSS	A$2 bn/US$1.74 bn (2007–08) or US$81/capita[3]
Share of self-financing by utilities	High
Share of tax-financing	Low
Share of external financing	None
Institutions
Decentralisation to municipalities	In some states (primarily in Queensland and Tasmania)
National water and sanitation company	State water and sanitation companies
Water and sanitation regulator	No
Responsibility for policy setting	Share between states/territories and the Commonwealth (national government)
Sector law	No
Number of urban service providers	> 33
Number of rural service providers	n/a

As Australia's supply of freshwater is increasingly vulnerable to droughts, possibly as a result of climate change, there is an emphasis on water conservation and various regions have imposed restrictions on the use of water.

In 2006, Perth became the first Australian city to operate a seawater desalination plant, the Kwinana Desalination Plant, to reduce the city's vulnerability to droughts. A plant at Kurnell has also been built and supplies Sydney metropolitan area with water during droughts and low dam levels. More plants are planned or are under construction in Gold Coast, Melbourne, and Adelaide. The use of reclaimed water is also increasingly common.

However, some desalination plants were put in stand-by modes in 2010 following above average rainfall levels and floods in 2010.

Governments of Australian states and territories, through state-owned companies, are in charge of service provision in Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory, while utilities owned by local governments provide services in parts of Queensland and Tasmania. In Victoria, New South Wales and Southeast Queensland, state-owned utilities provide bulk water which is then distributed by utilities owned by either local or state governments. The Minister for Water is responsible for water policies at the federal level.