Water Rebates

Rainwater tanks help conserve the drinking water supply and can provide a valuable source of water for gardens, cleaning and other household purposes.  

Aimed at reducing the demand on the drinking water supply, conserving water and reducing stormwater runoff, Council encourages the installation of rainwater tanks.

Council offers a rainwater tank rebate to eligible customers, at a rate of one rebate only per property for rainwater tanks installed, regardless of the number of tanks installed on the property.  

The rebate amount is reviewed annually and published in Council’s adopted Operational Plan.  

Application can be made by completing the Rainwater Tank Rebate Form.

Toilets use a lot of water and the water we flush away is usually valuable drinking water.  Switching to a more water efficient toilet, such as a dual flush toilet, can make a big difference to the household’s water use, as well reduce the impact on Council’s sewer system, protect our drinking water supplies and reduce household water bills.

Water-efficient toilets do the same job as inefficient toilets but use much less water. Older model toilets can use up to 12 litres of water per flush, whereas dual-flush toilets use only 3 litres on a half-flush.  

Council encourages the installation of dual flush toilets. Council offers a dual flush toilet rebate to eligible water customers, at a rate of one rebate only per property.  The rebate amount is reviewed annually and published in Council’s adopted Operational Plan. 

Application can be made by completing the Dual Flush Cistern Rebate Form.

You are eligible for a pensioner rebate if you are the owner and occupier of a property and hold one a Pensioner Concession Card or Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card.

The rebate only applies to the property a pensioner owns and occupies.

Pensioners are not eligible for the rebate for any additional premises they may own, such as investment properties.

An application for a pension concession on a property must be made by completing the Pensioner Rebate Application Form and all information must be provided before the application can be assessed. The form and Pensioner Concession Policy outline the eligibility criteria, supporting information required and approval conditions.

It is necessary for customers to advise Council if there is a requirement for water to maintain special medical needs. Council maintains a register of residential properties that operate life support machines such as dialysis machines. This information is available to Council staff to ensure, as much as possible, that a continuous supply of drinking water is maintained at those locations in the event of a burst water main or planned shutdown.

Some special health needs customers may also receive a rebate on water charges. Council recognises that water is a vital aspect of kidney dialysis and will limit water usage charges where it is confirmed that a resident of the property is using a dialysis machine.  Find out more about these rebates, eligibility and how to apply can be obtained in section 5.2.4 Concessions and Rebates – Home Dialysis Life Support Customers of Council’s Water Supply Service Policy.

Council has assistance available to customers, providing some relief for significantly higher Water Accounts as a result of undetected or concealed water leaks.

While water that has passed through a meter connection and breaks and repairs of water leaks downstream of a water meter within their property is the responsibility of a property owner, where an undetected water leak occurs on a property and is not associated with fittings, some assistance can be provided. 

An undetected water leak is one that is hidden from view either underground or under concrete, and a property owner could not reasonably be expected to be aware of its existence; or that internal plumbing has shortcomings.  

In cases where an undetected water leak has been found and repaired, the property owner can lodge an application for a concession from some of the Water Usage Account charges. 

The maximum concessional allowance assistance will be a one off reduction of 200 kilolitres per property. To be eligible, Council requires the completion of the Water Consumption Adjustment Application Form and proof of repair.

Applications must be received within 21 days of the receipt of the Water Usage Account being issued.  

An application of the undetected leak reduction does not remove the customer’s obligation to pay outstanding charges for the water supplied.