a. Sourced from the Bureau of Meteorology.
Despite an increase in water availability, household water prices rose across most States and Territories:
- Households paid an average of $3.43 per kilolitre, up just 0.6% from 2020-21.
- Industry paid an average of $0.31 per kilolitre, down 0.8% from 2020-21.
A Note on Unit Pricing
The differences between the cost of water for households and for industry is driven by a number of factors, including water quality. For example, households require potable water fit for human consumption while industries predominantly utilise non-potable water.
Industry water intensity and water use per household estimates are shown below to illustrate how usage patterns have changed alongside the pricing changes noted above:
- The average amount of water used by households fell by 3%, from 181 to 175 kL per household.
- Industry water intensity decreased from 6.90 to 6.65 ML/$m GVA.