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NSW
State-Owned Corporation
Transport and Infrastructure

Sydney Water

https://www.sydneywater.com.au/

Annual Budget

$3.5B

NSW 2025-26 Budget
Flat vs prior year
Staff

3,200

Headcount (2024-25)
Ideas relevant to this department

12 tagged

Reform proposals on YourGov that name this department as a delivery partner — drawn from citizen voice, government strategy, research, international examples and gap analysis.

High confidence
Sydney-Water.json

STRATEGY SUMMARY

To deliver safe, clean, reliable drinking water every day, protect our waterways and environment, and be a successful business.

VISION

Creating a better life with world-class water services

PURPOSE

To deliver safe, clean, reliable drinking water every day, protect our waterways and environment, and be a successful business.

Strategic priorities

· 11

1

Align with the Government's strategic planning

2

Strive for excellence in customer service and experience

3

Build trust with customers, stakeholders and the community

4

Focus on environmental outcomes

5

Minimise cost of living pressures

6

Ensure the Government's investment of capital is used efficiently

7

Deliver services safely

8

Build an innovative culture

9

Maintain high standards of public accountability and corporate governance

10

Ensure robust procurement practices that support community needs

11

Ensure Sydney Water’s workforce is engaged and has the capacity and capability to deliver the required functions

Outcomes

· 3

Customer experience

Deliver a great customer experience.

KEY ACTIVITIES

  • Customer satisfaction
  • Water literacy index
  • Affordable bills
  • Safe swimming and recreation

Water quality and reliability

Provide safe, clean, reliable drinking water every day.

KEY ACTIVITIES

  • Drinking water quality
  • Drinking water use
  • System leaks
  • Water continuity
  • Available water supply

Environmental protection

Ensure we protect our waterways and environment now and for the future.

KEY ACTIVITIES

  • Quality of treated wastewater
  • Pollution and environmental harm incidents
  • Volume of recycled water available
  • Net zero carbon emissions
  • Climate resilient systems
  • Natural area and green infrastructure

Values

· 4

We work together with integrity

We own our decisions

We create better and simpler ways of doing things

We care for one another, the environment and the community

Performance measures

· 21

CodeMeasureTarget 2025-26Latest resultStatus

CCE01

Customer satisfaction

Top quartile

Top quartile

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Achieved

WE01

Water literacy index

≥5.0

4.5

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Stable

AF01

Affordability

≤0.82%

0.81%

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Achieved

SW01

Safe swimming and recreation

≥2 sites

3 sites

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Exceeded

WQ01

Drinking water quality

100%

100%

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Achieved

DU01

Drinking water use (residential)

≤186 LPD

180 LPD

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Exceeded

SL01

System leaks (ODI)

≤8%

8.6%

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Improving

WC01

Water continuity

<2%

1.5%

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Achieved

AS01

Available water supply

≥4 yrs

4 years

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Achieved

QP01

Quality of treated wastewater

≥88.5%

96%

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Exceeded

PE01

Pollution and environmental harm incidents

≤1053

997

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Achieved

RW01

Volume of recycled water available

≥33 GL/yr

33 GL

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Achieved

NC01

Net carbon emissions

≤334,000 (tCO2)

330,435 (tCO2)

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Achieved

CR01

Climate resilient systems health check

Repeatable

Repeatable

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Exceeded

NA01

Natural area and green infrastructure land

≥50%

91%

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Exceeded

SA01

Safety – TRIFR (combined)

≤5

4.8

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Achieved

EE01

Employee Experience Index

≥75%

76%

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Achieved

DE01

Diversity and Equity Index

≥75%

92%

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Exceeded

VM01

Efficient and financially sustainable business

≥4.9%

5.0%

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Exceeded

TD01

Delivering infrastructure when it is required (OMD)

≥90%

67%

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Improving

DI01

Digitalisation index

≥38

<34.7

Annual Report 2024-25 · p.20
Improving

Ideas distilled from this entity's strategy & evidence

· 12

Data & Performance

KPI evidence register with named owners

Create a simple register mapping each KPI to source data, owner, frequency, target, and last result.

Impact: High
Effort: Low
small

sydney-water-annual-report-2024-25.pdf)

Data & Performance

Outcome dashboard linking budget, delivery, and public impact

Build a public-facing outcome dashboard showing spend, outputs, outcomes, and delivery confidence.

Impact: Very High
Effort: High
large

sydney-water-annual-report-2024-25.pdf)

Citizen Services

Plain-language service pages and proactive status updates

Rewrite high-volume pages and letters into plain language, add status notifications, and measure contact reduction.

Impact: High
Effort: Low
small

annual-report-2020-21.pdf)

Citizen Services

Single front door for life-event based services

Bundle services around life events so citizens can complete related steps across agencies in one journey.

Impact: Very High
Effort: High
large

annual-report-2020-21.pdf)

Risk & Assurance

Recommendation tracker for audits, reviews, and inquiries

Publish a single internal tracker for audit/review recommendations, owners, due dates, and implementation evidence.

Impact: High
Effort: Low
small

operating-licence.pdf)

Risk & Assurance

Integrated assurance and lessons-learned system

Create an assurance system that connects audit findings, risk registers, delivery reviews, and investment decisions.

Impact: Very High
Effort: High
large

operating-licence.pdf)

Procurement & Delivery

Procurement lessons library for repeat purchases

Capture reusable procurement clauses, market lessons, supplier performance notes, and common evaluation criteria.

Impact: High
Effort: Low
small

sydney-water-annual-report-2024-25.pdf)

Procurement & Delivery

Portfolio delivery office for major investments

Stand up a portfolio delivery office that tracks benefits, risks, dependencies, procurement, and delivery confidence.

Impact: Very High
Effort: High
large

sydney-water-annual-report-2024-25.pdf)

Citizen Participation

Consultation feedback summaries with response tracking

Summarise consultation submissions by theme and publish what changed in response.

Impact: High
Effort: Low
small

sydney-water-annual-report-2022-23.pdf)

Citizen Participation

Always-on policy participation platform

Create a standing participation platform where citizens and stakeholders can propose, vote, and track ideas.

Impact: Very High
Effort: High
large

sydney-water-annual-report-2022-23.pdf)

Regulation & Policy

Regulatory burden scan for forms, guidance, and reporting

Identify the top 10 highest-friction reporting obligations and simplify guidance, forms, or evidence requirements.

Impact: High
Effort: Low
small

sydney-water-annual-report-2022-23.pdf)

Regulation & Policy

Adaptive regulation program with live feedback loops

Create an adaptive regulation model using sandboxes, industry data, risk scoring, and regular rule updates.

Impact: Very High
Effort: High
large

sydney-water-annual-report-2022-23.pdf)

Data & Performance

KPI evidence register with named owners

Create a simple register mapping each KPI to source data, owner, frequency, target, and last result.

Impact: High
Effort: Low
small

sydney-water-annual-report-2024-25.pdf)

Data & Performance

Outcome dashboard linking budget, delivery, and public impact

Build a public-facing outcome dashboard showing spend, outputs, outcomes, and delivery confidence.

Impact: Very High
Effort: High
large

sydney-water-annual-report-2024-25.pdf)

Citizen Services

Plain-language service pages and proactive status updates

Rewrite high-volume pages and letters into plain language, add status notifications, and measure contact reduction.

Impact: High
Effort: Low
small

annual-report-2020-21.pdf)

Citizen Services

Single front door for life-event based services

Bundle services around life events so citizens can complete related steps across agencies in one journey.

Impact: Very High
Effort: High
large

annual-report-2020-21.pdf)

Risk & Assurance

Recommendation tracker for audits, reviews, and inquiries

Publish a single internal tracker for audit/review recommendations, owners, due dates, and implementation evidence.

Impact: High
Effort: Low
small

operating-licence.pdf)

Risk & Assurance

Integrated assurance and lessons-learned system

Create an assurance system that connects audit findings, risk registers, delivery reviews, and investment decisions.

Impact: Very High
Effort: High
large

operating-licence.pdf)

Procurement & Delivery

Procurement lessons library for repeat purchases

Capture reusable procurement clauses, market lessons, supplier performance notes, and common evaluation criteria.

Impact: High
Effort: Low
small

sydney-water-annual-report-2024-25.pdf)

Procurement & Delivery

Portfolio delivery office for major investments

Stand up a portfolio delivery office that tracks benefits, risks, dependencies, procurement, and delivery confidence.

Impact: Very High
Effort: High
large

sydney-water-annual-report-2024-25.pdf)

Citizen Participation

Consultation feedback summaries with response tracking

Summarise consultation submissions by theme and publish what changed in response.

Impact: High
Effort: Low
small

sydney-water-annual-report-2022-23.pdf)

Citizen Participation

Always-on policy participation platform

Create a standing participation platform where citizens and stakeholders can propose, vote, and track ideas.

Impact: Very High
Effort: High
large

sydney-water-annual-report-2022-23.pdf)

Regulation & Policy

Regulatory burden scan for forms, guidance, and reporting

Identify the top 10 highest-friction reporting obligations and simplify guidance, forms, or evidence requirements.

Impact: High
Effort: Low
small

sydney-water-annual-report-2022-23.pdf)

Regulation & Policy

Adaptive regulation program with live feedback loops

Create an adaptive regulation model using sandboxes, industry data, risk scoring, and regular rule updates.

Impact: Very High
Effort: High
large

sydney-water-annual-report-2022-23.pdf)

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