Supplementary reporting items
Supplementary reporting items
Our Fraud and Corruption Control Framework outlines our commitment to creating an honest and ethical business environment with zero tolerance of fraud or corruption in any form. We perform a range of activities to prevent, detect and respond to fraud and corruption, including:
- executive oversight of our Fraud and Corruption Control Framework by the General Manager People, Safety and Governance as designated Fraud and Corruption Control Coordinator
- regular fraud and corruption risk assessments undertaken with risk treatment plans for high-risk areas
- investigations of all allegations of fraud or corruption in accordance with our Fraud and Corruption Control Framework
- data analytic reviews conducted on payroll and accounts payable transactions by our internal audit function
- communication to our people on their requirement to act in accordance with our Ethical Standards Procedure, how to report matters of concern and the protections provided to them in the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2018 There were no instances of potential fraud externally reported in 2022-23
Through our Public Interest Disclosure Procedure, we are committed to encouraging and facilitating disclosure, in the public interest, of information about substantial risks to public health, safety or the environment, or about corruption, misconduct and maladministration in public administration.
There was one matter disclosed to a responsible officer of the agency under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2018 in August 2022. Following an internal investigation, we reported the matter to the Officer for Public Integrity (OPI). Upon review, the OPI referred the matter to the Independent Commission Against Corruption South Australia (ICAC). ICAC’s investigation concluded with no findings of corruption, misconduct, maladministration or otherwise.
Strategic risk management supports our forward planning and critical thinking to enable well-informed decision-making across our operations.
Risk management is controlled by our Governance Policy and supported by our Risk Framework which has been developed to align with the requirements of the SA Government Risk Management Guide and aligns to the principles of risk management as set out in the international risk management standard ISO 31000:2018 Risk Management – Guidelines.
Our risk profile is reported regularly to our Board through its Governance, Finance and Risk Committee.
All forms of organisational feedback including complaints are seen as opportunities for us to improve our performance in delivering excellent customer experiences, as well as building customer trust and confidence and developing operational efficiencies.
We strive to capture, understand, and resolve complaints at first contact whenever possible. Our Customer Advocate team helps investigate and respond to complaints which were not able to be resolved on first contact. Additionally, we proactively look for ways to improve the feedback management processes across the business.
In 2022-23, we received 3.55 complaints per 1,000 customers, up from 2.94 complaints per 1,000 customers in 2021-22. This increase was driven by improved focus on better complaint capture and training our people in complaint management. It is viewed as a positive indication of improvement and not identified as a specific trend or operational issue.
More than one third (36.24 per cent) of all complaints received were recorded as first contact resolution complaints. We responded to 97.18 per cent of complaints within target times, with 7.03 per cent of complaints escalated to the ombudsman.
Together with the Water Services Association of Australia and other Australian water utilities, we are reviewing and implementing best practice guidelines to extend our ability to capture customer complaints resolved at first contact, to build valuable insights for our business and improve the overall experience for our customers.
The most common complaint types received in 2022-23 related to:
- water quality
- meter reading and estimates
- repairs and maintenance of infrastructure in the metropolitan area.
In 2022-23, the Energy and Water Ombudsman of South Australia (EWOSA) referred 1841 complaints to us on a range of issues, which is an increase from 144 in 2021-22. The highest complaint type remains costs incurred for high water use, which is consistent with complaints referred in 2021-22.
This year, 81 per cent of customers who had a complaint handled by our Customer Advocate team indicated they were satisfied with our complaints handling process.
Through our complaint management process, the Customer Advocate team completes root cause analyses, post complaint reviews and case studies for complaints throughout the year. Case studies include a full account of the complaint details, a summary of the case investigation, the outcomes, and any applicable process improvement recommendations.
In response to customer feedback, we continue to implement changes, and in the past year this has included:
- improvements to complaint recording and data collection including staff training
- meter reading procedures.
In 2022-23, 1,053 new customers joined our Customer Assist Program. The program helps residential customers with support to help pay their bills. At 30 June 2023, 1,916 residential customers had participated in a financial hardship program with a $2,936 average bill balance. The program connects customers with support to help them better manage their bills, and in 2022-23, 655 residential customers successfully exited the program.
