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Who we are

Melbourne Water is a water resource manager owned by the Victorian Government.

We manage Melbourne’s water supply catchments, remove and treat most of Melbourne’s sewage, and manage rivers and creeks and major drainage systems throughout the Port Phillip and Westernport region.

Our people have diverse skills and expertise and we place a high priority on building strong partnerships and relationships with the community and all our other stakeholders (see Our relationships).

We are responsible for managing $8.7 billion of water supply, sewerage and drainage assets, as well as natural assets such as rivers and creeks. These assets service 3.4 million people in an area spanning 12,800 square kilometres.

Who we work with

An independent Board of Directors is responsible for the governance of Melbourne Water, and during the reporting period the responsible Minister for Melbourne Water was the Hon. John Thwaites, Minister for Water, Environment and Climate Change (formerly the Minister for Water).

EPA Victoria, the Department of Human Services, and the Essential Services Commission regulate the environmental, public health and economic aspects of our business respectively. We work with several arms of the Victorian Government including the Department of Sustainability and Environment and the Department of Treasury and Finance.

Our customers include the metropolitan retail water businesses – City West Water, South East Water, Yarra Valley Water – other water authorities such as Western Water and Southern Rural Water, local councils, land developers and businesses that divert river water. Other key stakeholders include the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority, the Municipal Association of Victoria, industry councils, and Sustainability Victoria.

We work with expert external organisations such as the CSIRO, Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) and universities in delivering our research programs. We also rely on the support and involvement of many community stakeholders including Landcare Australia, “Friends of”, community consultative groups, resident and environment groups, advisory bodies, and rural landowners.

Structure framework

Our vision

Working together to ensure a sustainable water future.

Our goals

Water resources

  • Protect and conserve Melbourne’s existing water resources
  • Protect our water supply catchments from bushfire
  • Develop alternative water resources, including recycled water, that meet our customers’ current and future needs
  • Increase water resource efficiency.

Public health

  • Supply high quality and reliable drinking water
  • Deliver safe sewage transfer, treatment and disposal
  • Manage flood risk.

Natural environment

  • Improve environmental outcomes from all aspects of our business
  • Improve river health and the marine environment
  • Improve biodiversity
  • Preserve and promote our cultural heritage
  • Meet planned reductions in greenhouse emissions and increased use or export of renewable energy.

Financial viability

  • Increase business value through innovation and efficiency
  • Balance investments and levels of service and risk
  • Maximise resource efficiency
  • Maintain sound governance
  • Ensure investment decisions are sustainable
  • Deliver planned shareholder returns.

Infrastructure

  • Ensure stringent regulatory obligations are met
  • Provide efficient and effective capital planning processes and maintenance programs
  • Develop and implement efficient capital investment and operations programs
  • Minimise waste disposal and maximise resource recovery.

Our people

  • Provide a safe and enjoyable work environment which brings out the best in people
  • Attract and retain a diverse, motivated, skilled and experienced workforce
  • Encourage our people to develop and share knowledge gained from each other and stakeholders
  • Implement a framework that rewards employees’ performance against the delivery of our business objectives.

Relationships

  • Identify and meet customer service expectations
  • Develop enduring partnerships with retail water businesses, developers and other customers through open and transparent communication
  • Build cooperation with all levels of government and regulators
  • Further develop programs to support corporate social responsibility
  • Foster the exchange of knowledge with the community
  • Develop collaborative relationships with suppliers to gain support for our sustainability principles
  • Engage and inform the community to seek support for our projects and priorities.

Our workplace

  • Foster a Melbourne Water culture that encourages sustainable behaviour
  • Ensure that sustainability principles underpin our workplace policies and practices
  • Encourage and recognise innovation and ideas for sustainable improvements.

Erica, the growling grass frog, symbolises Melbourne Water’s commitment to sustainability

Growling grass frogs are a threatened species under the National Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and Victoria’s Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act. They are also considered endangered by the World Conservation Union – IUCN. Growling grass frogs rely predominantly on permanent and ephemeral wetlands for reproduction, but are also known to breed in rivers and creeks that consist of slow-moving pools.
Rivers and creeks provide important habitat corridors for growling grass frogs as they migrate between breeding sites, and can even provide temporary refuges during times of drought.
A healthy wetland, river, or creek environment is therefore extremely important to growling grass frog survival. Melbourne Water was excited to discover a population of growling grass frogs living at the Western Treatment Plant. Melbourne Water has monitored this population every year, and has successfully modified the management of their habitat to improve their breeding success. The Western Treatment Plant at Werribee now supports one of the largest growling grass frog populations within greater Melbourne.
The presence of a diversity of frogs is an excellent indicator of a healthy environment and Melbourne Water is committed to the continued protection of frog populations across Melbourne.