THE WATER REFORM JOURNEY - 1980 TO 2008

摘要

As one nears retirement after more than 27 years working in the Victorian water industry, it is an opportune time to reflect on where we have come from, what have been our major achievements and what are the challenges ahead. I joined the Victorian industry in 1980 and at that time, it comprised the Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW), the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission (SR&WSC) and more than 370 water and sewerage bodies serving regional Victoria. In short, a hugely inefficient structure, providing extreme variations in business and operational performance and customer service. The reform agenda of the early eighties primarily focused on the regional sector, where the industry was extremely fragmented and underperforming. The regional sector lacked money, skills and intellectual grunt, and the small local water and sewerage bodies were generally surviving by consuming their assets.