Year in review
We provide our customers with safe, reliable and affordable water services. To achieve this, we maintain trust by ensuring water quality and asset reliability and provide continuity of service by preventing or minimising temporary service interruptions. We use data, technology and connected assets to make smart operational decisions, improve efficiency and maintain affordable services for customers.
Meeting our customer service standards
Performance measures and service standards set by our economic regulator, the Essential Services Commission of South Australia, guide how we measure our success in delivering for our customers and the community.
In 2025-26, we met all 22 of our customer service standards.
Measure | Target | Achieved |
Customer satisfaction | 93% | 93% |
Telephone responsiveness | 85% | 87% |
First contact resolution | 85% | 100% |
Complaint responsiveness | 95% | 97% |
Complaint escalation | 10% or lower | 7% |
Connection application responsiveness | 95% | 98% |
Water network connection timeliness | 95% | 96% |
Sewer network connection timeliness | 94% | 97% |
Water quality responsiveness (metropolitan Adelaide) | 97% | 100% |
Water quality responsiveness (regional South Australia) | 99% | 100% |
Water event responsiveness – high priority (metropolitan Adelaide) | 99% | 100% |
Water event responsiveness – high priority (regional South Australia) | 99% | 99% |
Water event responsiveness – low priority (metropolitan Adelaide) | 83% | 92% |
Water event responsiveness – low priority (regional South Australia) | 97% | 98% |
Sewer event responsiveness (metropolitan Adelaide) | 99% | 100% |
Sewer event responsiveness (regional South Australia) | 99% | 99% |
Water service restoration timeliness (metropolitan Adelaide) | 98% | 99% |
Water service restoration timeliness (regional South Australia) | 98% | 98% |
Sewerage service restoration timeliness (metropolitan Adelaide) | 95% | 98% |
Sewerage service restoration timeliness (regional South Australia) | 99% | 99% |
Sewer overflow clean-up timeliness (metropolitan Adelaide) | 98% | 98% |
Sewer overflow clean-up timeliness (regional South Australia) | 99% | 99% |
Sustaining and maintaining our existing networks
Our continued focus to improve and maintain our water and wastewater networks saw us invest $842 million in our water network and infrastructure, and $470 million in our wastewater pipe network and infrastructure.
In 2025-26 we installed 50.3 kilometres of new water mains as part of our 4-year, $140 million water main management program. New water mains were installed across the state, including at the following locations:
Location | Mains installed (m) |
Maitland | 4,872 |
Nurom | 4,820 |
Brinkworth | 3,745 |
Kangaroo Flat | 3,697 |
Sellicks Hill | 1,875 |
Warramboo | 1,400 |
Ceduna | 1,141 |
Warradale | 1,070 |
Highbury | 924 |
Saltia | 772 |
Parafield Gardens | 687 |
Ascot Park | 599 |
Nailsworth | 443 |
Morphett Vale | 377 |
Elizabeth North | 364 |
Prospect | 364 |
St Peters | 359 |
Linwood | 347 |
Whyalla | 342 |
Panorama | 310 |
Marden | 308 |
Adelaide | 281 |
Hope Valley | 280 |
Manningham | 260 |
Windsor Gardens | 233 |
Moonta Bay | 225 |
Brahma Lodge | 225 |
Holden Hill | 215 |
Main leaks and breaks
In 2025-26, 4,798 water main leaks and breaks were reported across our 27,742 kilometre network, a 3 per cent reduction from the 4,930 recorded in 2024-25.
Dry conditions causing excessive soil movement around our water network led to a greater rate of breaks in the first half of the year. However, increased rainfall during the second half of the year helped reduce the overall tally.
While we work to keep main breaks to a minimum, our modelling anticipated the increased water main break frequency which helped us plan and manage resources to ensure we continued to meet our service delivery targets.
Investing in a resilient water future for South Australia
From 1 July 2025, the average metropolitan customer’s bill increased by 3.5 per cent plus Consumer Price Index, ensuring we can continue making the vital investments to maintain and improve services for our customers while supporting unprecedented levels of housing growth. This meant the average metropolitan residential customer with typical water use and average property value paid around $19 per quarter more in 2025-26 (based on 2.4 per cent inflation).
Promoting our Payment Assistance Program
In 2025-26, we promoted our Payment Assistance Program to ensure customers know what support is available if they have difficulty paying their water bill. We encouraged customers experiencing or anticipating bill stress to contact us early, so we could work with them on flexible options including payment plans and extensions.
We used targeted advertising to direct customers to information about bill assistance on our website and worked with community and support organisations across metropolitan and regional South Australia to share information through their channels.
This activity increased visits to our bill support webpage and helped raise awareness of the assistance available. Our brand health research found that awareness of our flexible payment options reached 75 per cent, the highest annual result recorded to date and a significant increase on the previous financial year.
Greater protections for customers experiencing domestic violence
We strengthened protections for customers experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence by introducing stronger systems and privacy safeguards across our services. These changes align with new requirements under the Essential Services Commission of South Australia’s Water Retail Code and are designed to better protect customer safety, privacy and wellbeing.
To support customers who may be at risk of financial abuse, unsafe contact arrangements or service disruption, we embedded additional protections across our business, including safer account and contact arrangements, enhanced privacy controls, flexible billing options and confidential support pathways.
Customer-facing employees received specialist training to recognise when support may be needed and respond appropriately. We also introduced specialist customer support roles, improved business processes, enhanced account systems and clearer customer information on our website to reduce the risk of harm.
Bolivar’s new upgrade opens for first flush
Eighty Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of sewage from across Adelaide is now flowing through Bolivar Wastewater Treatment Plant’s newly upgraded inlet structure.
Completed in September 2025, the new inlet can process up to 630 million litres of sewage per day, more than doubling the plant’s average daily flow capacity.
It includes 4 new 6-metre-high screen trains, which remove solid materials, such as wet wipes, and help protect downstream infrastructure from blockages and damage.
This upgrade is preparing the facility for increased flow volumes as Adelaide’s northern growth areas continue to expand.
Together with the replacement of 10 existing inlet pipes, the $64 million investment will help ensure our wastewater system can keep pace with population growth and future housing development.
Connection progress in Adelaide’s north east
The Tea Tree Gully Sustainable Sewers Program, continued to make strong progress in 2025-26, connecting a further 1,100 properties to our wastewater network. A total of 2,276 properties are now connected – almost half-way to our target. The program will deliver new sewer connections to more than 4,800 properties across 13 suburbs in the City of Tea Tree Gully area.
Wastewater mains are now in place in St Agnes, Tea Tree Gully and Surrey Downs and works continue across the remaining suburbs. Two new wastewater pumping stations are also operational. We are working closely with property owners and the community as the project progresses. Customers who received new sewer connections reported an average satisfaction rating of 95 per cent.
Network expands to Wellington East
About 220 homes in Wellington East now have access to safe, clean drinking water, following the town’s transition to our drinking water network in June 2026.
As part of the transfer of the water supply network from the Coorong District Council, the community was connected to an existing water main along the Princes Highway. This links to the Lake Alexandrina trunk main, which sources water from the River Murray before it’s treated at our Tailem Bend Water Treatment Plant.
As SA Water customers, Wellington East residents now have access to a 24/7 customer response service, bill payment support when needed and inclusion in our statewide pricing structure.
Riverland’s Lock 3 back in business after vital refurbishments
Overland Corner’s century-old Lock 3 reopened in September 2025 following the completion of important maintenance works. The lock chamber’s 8-million-litre water capacity was drained to enable safe access to the base of the 120-metre-long structure.
Refurbishments included replacing all 12 water control valves, re-sealing the four 18-tonne hydraulic gates, repairing sections of the lock floor and completing other maintenance works across the site. The upgrades will improve the lockage process for boats by halving their transit time through the lock from about 30 minutes down to 15 minutes.
Easy ways to be water wise
Our summer messaging campaign provided customers with practical tips on how to be water wise in their home and garden during the warmer months. In 2025-26, we built on the success of previous campaigns by focusing on simple, practical advice delivered through social media channels. We also shared information through our website and engaged directly with the community at events including the Tour Down Under and WOMADelaide.
The campaign exceeded its goals for reaching customers across South Australia, generating positive sentiment and prompting customers to share their own water wise tips.
Morgan tap water crowned the best in the state
Morgan Water Treatment Plant won the title of South Australia’s best tasting tap water in IXOM’s 2025 competition. The Water Industry Operations Association of Australia competition judges 17 water samples from across the state based on colour, clarity, odour and taste.
Operating since 1986, the plant at Morgan supplies drinking water to about 130,000 homes and businesses from the state’s Mid North to central Eyre Peninsula.
The plant produces an average of 31 billion litres of water each year, and accounts for around 40 per cent of the drinking water supplied across regional South Australia.
Wetter year bolsters Adelaide reservoirs
During 2025-26, a total of 89 billion litres of water flowed into Adelaide’s reservoirs. In June 2026, storages were sitting at 49 per cent capacity – 9 per cent higher than in June 2025.
Rainfall in July, August and November 2025, then again in June 2026, played a significant role in replenishing our catchments and helping storages recover from the dry conditions experienced in recent years.
In the first half of 2025-26, 61 billion litres flowed into Adelaide’s reservoirs – compared to 41 billion litres in 2024-25.
The combined impact of a growing population and changing climate is continuing to drive higher water use across Adelaide, with the past 2 summers recording exceptionally high levels of consumption.
In summer 2025-26, a total of 58.2 billion litres of water was supplied to our customers across Adelaide – the highest volume since 2002-03.
Research, development and innovation build capability
Research, development and innovation enable us to meet changing business needs, prepare for future challenges and opportunities, and build the knowledge, capability and problem-solving skills of our people.
In 2025-26, we delivered an industry-leading Innovation Accelerator program in partnership with Flinders University’s New Venture Institute, enabling cross-functional teams to develop and test solutions to strategic business challenges.
Specific research and development projects progressed during the year included:
- Wastewater monitoring across South Australia to provide public health intelligence as part of the Australian Centre for Disease Control's National Wastewater Surveillance Program.
- Developing new methods for rapid detection and prediction of cyanobacterial blooms using advanced molecular and remote sensing technologies.
- Piloting ozone nanobubble water treatment systems to improve removal of taste and odour compounds while reducing chemical use.
- Developing a framework for managing the risk of antimicrobial organisms in the environment.
- Improving water supply resilience through research into alternative water sources, recycled water opportunities and regional water security solutions.
Our Adelaide service delivery partnership
Our Adelaide service delivery partnerships with Service Stream and SUEZ continued in 2025-26.
Our metro field operations service provider, Service Stream:
- Completed 172,250 work orders – a 15.9 per cent annual increase in total work order volumes – and achieved 7 out of 7 customer service standards set by the Essential Services Commission of South Australia (including best endeavours).
- Delivered services for our customers with an average customer satisfaction score of 93 per cent for metropolitan fault reports.
- Delivered 1,300 meter replacements across 17 remote communities in the A angu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands.
- Installed 11,300 new water meters on Eyre Peninsula as part of the statewide program to replace 120,000 ageing water meters.
- Supported our capital delivery teams in delivering 3,229 metres of new and replacement water mains in metropolitan areas.
- Ensured our water and wastewater networks were ready for increased customer demand during the bp Adelaide Grand Final. More than 4 kilometres of sewer main were cleaned as a preventative measure and 52 valves were isolated across the circuit. This year, crews successfully reduced the number of required isolations by 9 compared to the previous year, helping to lessen the impact of low-flow conditions on local customers. Chamber lids across the circuit were also carefully secured.
- Provided support for field crews across 8 regional centres, including Woodside in the Adelaide Hills, Seaford and wider Fleurieu Peninsula, Port Lincoln, Roseworthy, and Port Augusta.
- Delivered diversity and inclusion outcomes with 2.8 per cent of employees identifying as Aboriginal or Torrens Strait Islander and strengthening ties with First Nations community through involvement with Clontarf Foundation.
- Launched our first ever all-female sewer crew, with 12 women now employed in field roles.
Our production and treatment alliance (P&T) partner SUEZ delivered:
- Project works worth $13 million, including an upgrade of our Hope Valley offices, Seacliff electrical safety works and a major water main valve replacement in Athelstone.
- A new integrated tank at the Glenelg Wastewater Treatment Plant to store cheese whey from dairy manufacturers, doubling capacity for co-digestion alongside other sources of organic waste and wastewater and enabling a boost in biogas production. The plant now generates about 589 megawatt hours of electricity every month, which is enough to power about 1,000 homes.
- A record 158,387 megalitres of drinking water from metropolitan water treatment plants – the highest volume since the alliance contract began. The Happy Valley plant produced 12,676 megalitres in January 2026 alone – an amount equivalent to the entire volume of Happy Valley Reservoir. Peak daily water production reached 911 megalitres on Australia Day (26 January 2026) when the daytime temperate reached 44.7°C.
- Approximately 30,000 hours of labour to support our program of works delivering housing growth across metropolitan Adelaide.
One of our 2 Bolivar recycled water treatment plants recorded its highest monthly production since July 2021, producing 2.85 billion litres of fit-for-purpose recycled water in January 2026. The water supports properties across the Northern Adelaide Plains, including animal husbandry and poultry operations, fruit and nut orchards, table and wine grapes, horticulture and floriculture. Water from the plant also supports dual reticulation services, including garden irrigation and toilet flushing, for Mawson Lakes homes.
Production from Bolivar’s second recycled water plant also increased in January 2026, reaching 231 megalitres – its third-highest monthly production since July 2021. Water from this plant supports our Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme, which supplies the agricultural food bowl north of Adelaide.
Other initiatives included collaborating with local land care and biodiversity groups and community members to continue revegetation projects at our Glenelg and Aldinga wastewater treatment plants, which has seen 40,000 native lants grown and planted across 2 projects since 2021.
Our production and treatment activities ensure the water we provide is fit for our customers to use and to be recycled or returned to the environment. We harvest, store, treat, distribute and reuse water to provide fit-for-purpose water services to our customers to stimulate economic growth and meet customer needs, and look for opportunities to positively influence policy and decisions.
Housing Roadmap program accelerates growth across Greater Adelaide
In the second year of delivering infrastructure under the South Australian Government’s Housing Roadmap, we continued expanding metropolitan water and wastewater networks to support housing growth across Greater Adelaide.
Major works progressed across Adelaide’s northern growth corridor, including Angle Vale, Elizabeth North, Davoren Park, Craigmore, Blakeview, Munno Para, Smithfield, Virginia, Roseworthy and the Gawler Belt. Together, these projects form part of the largest expansion of our metropolitan water and wastewater networks in decades.
During 2025-26, crews laid more than 36,000 metres of pipe, with up to 32 teams working across multiple sites. We also issued 148 Development Agreement Formal Instruments, enabling water and wastewater services for 5,192 new allotments.
These network upgrades are helping unlock land for housing, support growing communities and ensure essential infrastructure keeps pace with South Australia’s growth.
Sandy Creek water storage project reaches key milestones
Construction of two 10,000 kilolitre water storage tanks at Sandy Creek progressed significantly during the year, bringing the major infrastructure project closer to completion.
The tanks will provide an additional 20,000 kilolitres of drinking water storage, to help meet growing demand across Adelaide’s northern suburbs, the western Barossa and surrounding communities.
Key milestones included the completion of the tank walls on the 48-metre-wide, 7-metre-tall structures and installation of the roof on the first tank. Once complete, the tanks will be the largest water storage tanks built in Greater Adelaide in more than a decade, strengthening network resilience and increasing water supply capacity for northern Adelaide communities.
Gawler East booster pump station
Upgrades to the Gawler East booster pump station reached significant milestones during 2025-26, supporting reliable water services for growing communities in Adelaide’s northern suburbs.
Key milestones included completion of the booster pump station building structure, comprising more than 150 cubic metres of concrete foundations and base slab, installation of 22 precast concrete wall panels and completion of the roof structure. Internal fit-out also progressed, including installation of pumps, pipework, electrical systems, security infrastructure and a 4-tonne gantry crane.
The upgrade will increase the station’s pumping capacity from 90 litres per second to 240 litres per second in Stage 1, with provision to expand to 445 litres per second in the future. The project remains on track for completion in late 2026.
Driving growth in Adelaide’s south
We continued to support housing growth in Adelaide’s southern corridor through the delivery of critical water and wastewater infrastructure under the government’s Housing Roadmap.
In January 2026, more than 1,000 metres of new water mains and associated infrastructure was completed and commissioned ahead of schedule to enable the next stage of residential development in Onkaparinga Heights with around 1,000 new homes planned for the area.
We also started construction on major wastewater upgrades to support future growth in Onkaparinga Heights and surrounding suburbs.
Securing the Eyre Peninsula's future water supply
We continued to safeguard water supply for the Eyre Peninsula in 2025-26, with construction of the Eyre Peninsula Desalination Plant remaining the key long-term solution to secure the region’s future water supply.
While the plant is being constructed, we have implemented actions under our Water Security Response Plan, which includes supporting customers through the region’s ‘save water’ campaign and promoting rebates available for water-efficient fixtures and appliances.
We also worked with primary producers through the Eyre Peninsula Farm Water Security Project, a collaboration with the Department of Primary Industries and Regions and the Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board. The project delivered workshops and resources on water harvesting, storage and quality management for farmers across the region.
Together, these measures helped maintain water security for the 35,000 people living and working across the Eyre Peninsula.
Morgan to Whyalla Pipeline works
In 2025-26, we renewed 9.3 kilometres of the 358-kilometre Morgan to Whyalla Pipeline, following extensive preparation works.
This is part of a $61.8 million upgrade to South Australia’s longest pipeline which supplies safe, clean drinking water to more than 130,000 homes and businesses across the Mid North, Yorke Peninsula and Eyre Peninsula.
Built in the 1940s, the Morgan to Whyalla Pipeline has long been a vital part of South Australia’s water network. Its renewal will strengthen future water security for the communities it serves and marks the first stage of a long-term program to replace the pipeline section by section over the coming decades.
Tailem Bend to Keith Pipeline upgrade
We completed a major upgrade of the 132-kilometre Tailem Bend to Keith Pipeline, reinforcing water reliability for more than 3,000 homes and businesses across the Lower Murray, Mallee and Upper Southeast regions.
Water delivered through the 52-year-old pipeline is sourced from the River Murray, treated at the Tailem Bend Water Treatment Plant and transported through a further 800 kilometres of connected water mains. At full capacity, the pipeline can transport up to 44 megalitres of drinking water each day.
The $5.8 million project reached its final milestone in 2025-26 with the installation of a seventh valve at Tintinara. The new and upgraded valves will help reduce the number of customers affected during maintenance and unplanned outages, and will benefit around 688 properties in Coonalpyn, Culburra and Tintinara.
A historic milestone for Marree’s water supply
For the first time, safe, clean drinking water is flowing to customers in the South Australian outback town of Marree following the construction of a new desalination plant.
Historically, Marree’s water supply was designated as non-drinking, requiring residents to source drinking water from rainwater tanks, water deliveries or bottled supplies.
Water quality testing has confirmed the desalinated water is safe to drink and meets the requirements of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, and customers no longer need to rely on alternative drinking water sources.
We partnered with Aboriginal-owned South Australian company Birubi Australia and major contract partner John Holland Guidera O’Connor Joint Venture to deliver the pipeline connecting the desalination plant to the community.
This plant can produce more than 120,000 litres of safe, clean drinking water each day, delivering a historic milestone for the Marree community.
We support and promote the health and wellbeing of an active, thriving South Australia. This is achieved by building sustainable and liveable communities. We share new ways of using water effectively and efficiently to create comfortable green spaces that support wellbeing. Through actions to achieve reconciliation, we support stronger Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities by helping to create economic opportunities.
Continuing our Reconciliation Action Plan actions
We continued to deliver the actions outlined in our 2024-27 Reconciliation Action Plan. Key achievements during 2025-26:
- We launched new branding, developed by our graphic designer, Bree Ah Chee, a proud Arrernte, Yankunytjatjara and Bundjalung woman together with members of our Kauwi Miyurna employee network group. The piece, titled, Country flows through water features prominently throughout the business, including signage, fleet vehicles, water infrastructure, uniforms, corporate materials, and SA Water House itself, and ensures Aboriginal voices and stories are visible every day.
- We provided our people with the opportunity for a cultural immersion session at the Karrawirra-tya-illa Campground near South Para Reservoir, where they learned directly from local Kaurna and Peramangk people about their connection to Country and waters.
- We spent $23 million with more than 70 Aboriginal suppliers, exceeding our target of 1.3 per cent total business spend, strengthening economic participation and contributing social and economic value to Aboriginal communities.
Community, education, connection and events
Over the past year, our Art on Infrastructure program engaged local artists to deliver 4 new artworks across the state. New installations can now be seen at Lenswood, Lobethal, along the Palmer–Mannum pipeline and on the Glenside water tower in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs.
In 2025-26, we also delivered:
- Presentations to 7,256 students through The Well education program, including 2,158 students in regional and remote schools.
- Quench Benches and drinking fountains at 257 events, providing more than 114,000 litres of water.
- Community presentations and site tours for 1,608 people, including our first twilight and weekend tours at the Adelaide Desalination Plant.
- 1,022 hours of community connection by our Brand Ambassadors across 15 major South Australian events, including LIV Golf, the bp Adelaide Grand Final, WOMADelaide and the National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant.
Partnerships
We continued working with corporate and industry partners, and community organisations across South Australia to support projects that deliver environmental, reconciliation and community benefits. Through our Community Partnership Programs, we:
- Continued our partnership with Zoos South Australia, helping provide raw water to build habitats and watering holes, and enabling elephants to be housed at Monarto Safari Park.
- Supported the development of the Eyre Permaculture and Environment Centre, helping create a community hub focused on sustainable water use, environmental education and resilience.
- Supported the Multicultural Communities Council of South Australia to develop an illustrated storybook inspired by water, in collaboration with local children.
- Partnered with OzFish to deliver hands-on water education sessions for young people in the South East.
- Supported Lobethal Community Kindergarten to create a reconciliation garden co-designed with Peramangk. The garden, including a water course, sculpture and mural is used to teach students about nature and the kindergarten's connection to Peramangk culture.
As a leader in environmental management, and by partnering with our stakeholders, customers and community, we are taking action to adapt to climate change and finding ways to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. We make decisions that reduce waste and create opportunities to reuse resources and by-products of our production processes to deliver environmental benefits.
Keeping our sewers healthy
Sewer blockages reduced from 29,082 in 2024-25 to 26,847 in 2025-26, a 7.7 per cent decrease. Tree roots remained the leading cause, accounting for almost two-thirds of all blockages, particularly in Morphett Vale, Flagstaff Hill, Happy Valley, Athelstone and Rostrevor.
Encouragingly, many South Australians have continued changing household habits, and more people are disposing of wet wipes, rags and other sanitary items in general waste bins. Crews experienced 150 fewer blockages due to wet wipes (1,223 in 2024-25 to 1,073 in 2025-26) and 86 fewer blockages due to foreign objects and anything else that isn’t flushable (690 in 2024-25 to 604 in 2025-26).
Further education on household grease disposal is needed, as crews experienced an increase of 62 blockages (941 in 2024-25 to 1,003 in 2025-26).
We continued to encourage customers to use our tree planting guide to help prevent root intrusion and to only flush the 'four Ps' – pee, poo, toilet paper and products proven to be flushable.
Our Healthy Sewers functional advertising was shared during peak sewer blockage periods in November 2025 and April 2026. It used clear messaging targeted to areas with higher blockage rates to help encourage the right flushing and rinsing behaviours to reduce sewer blockage and overflow incidents. Messages were delivered through digital channels including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, as well as on posters on the backs of toilet doors and digital signage in targeted locations.
Restoring native landscapes in our reservoir reserves
Our Reservoirs for Nature program is a long-term investment in South Australia’s environment, people, communities and climate resilience. The program will deliver lasting environmental outcomes across several of our reservoir reserve sites. In 2025-26, we started projects to restore 320 hectares of previously cleared land at Myponga and Mount Bold reservoir reserves.
By regenerating native landscapes and improving biodiversity, this initiative will help restore ecological balance to some of our most important natural areas, and support stronger communities, deeper cultural connections, and healthier environments for generations to come. The project is also estimated to generate around 67,000 Australian Carbon Credit Units over 25 years, helping us offset some of the operational emissions associated with our infrastructure.
Site preparation works completed in 2025-26 included weed control, soil preparation and native grass sowing to prepare for shrub and tree seedling planting. Fencing was also installed to protect newly planted seedlings.
Getting climate ready
As a Phase 1 agency under the South Australian Government's Climate Ready Government program, we completed all requirements scheduled for delivery by 30 June 2026 under the Climate Change and Greenhouse Emissions Reduction Act 2007. This included implementation of a new Climate Change Framework to support the integration of climate considerations into governance, planning and investment decisions. We scanned more than 6,000 assets and facilities for their exposure to climate hazards, and identified bushfire, flooding, extreme heat and sea level rise as the biggest concerns. More detailed climate risk analysis was also prepared for sites including the Whyalla Wastewater Treatment Plant, which will support long-term investment strategies that consider climate adaptation measures to protect essential infrastructure.
Climate resilience is being integrated into every investment project through our Sustainability By Design technical standard. The Materiality Assessment process has identified several capital projects where climate vulnerability can be addressed from the outset, using engineering design to minimise or avoid exposure to future climate risks.
Our carbon emissions for 2025-26 were measured as 197,058 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCo2e), with 19,682 tonnes avoided by our renewable energy systems and biogas use at wastewater treatment plants. We also completed a review of future potential opportunities to manage emissions through electrification, wastewater fugitive gas mitigation, data management systems and leveraging renewable energy from South Australia’s low carbon grid. This review will inform ongoing refinement of our carbon management plan and emissions abatement actions.
We proactively grow a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the community we serve. This brings diverse perspectives and creative thinking that support innovation and help us embrace technology to work more safely and efficiently. Our people work safely and contribute to a high-performing culture where learning and collaboration deliver great customer outcomes.
Improving safety, health and wellbeing
In 2025-26, our Health and Safety team accelerated its improvement agenda, strengthening frontline safety capability through the deployment of regional health and safety coordinators.
Our collective, sustained and targeted efforts to protect our people and contractors from workplace incidents contributed to a 33 per cent reduction in significant incidents. Our end-of-year total recordable injury frequency rate remained below target (8.5) at 7.4, reflecting that our continued focus on injury prevention and early intervention is having a positive impact.
Key programs of work delivered:
- We developed and deployed new health and safety inspection dashboards, providing real-time visibility of hazards, risks, corrective actions, incidents and inspections to support data-driven decision-making and improved organisational oversight.
- We established the Health and Safety Risk Committee, chaired by the General Manager People and Safety, with representation from all business units. This has strengthened enterprise-wide governance, oversight, and management of health and safety risks.
- We enhanced major hazard facility governance and assurance processes, including improvements to audits, consultation frameworks, risk assessments, and compliance management to support regulatory obligations and operational safety.
- We increased safety leadership observations by 83 per cent, improving leader visibility in the field, strengthening verification of critical controls, and supporting higher-quality safety conversations.
- We significantly increased facilities compliance inspections, enabling earlier identification of health and safety risks and supporting proactive improvement initiatives across our sites.
- We strengthened psychosocial risk management through enhanced governance, targeted training, increased awareness and wellbeing initiatives, creating a safer and more supportive workplace.
- We established the collaborative Executive Contractor Safety Forum, bringing together our Executive team and senior leaders from key contracting partners to share insights, address challenges, and jointly drive improvements in health and safety performance across the broader workforce.
- We insourced our claims and injury management process, enabling more proactive, people-centred support, strengthening early intervention and helping our people recover and return to work safely.
Diversity, equity and inclusion
Over the past year we continued embedding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) across our business, ensuring it remains an integral part of how we work and make decisions.
We also continued initiatives aimed at removing barriers for women working in field-based roles. In response to findings from a 2024 review, we focused on addressing barriers identified by our people and creating opportunities for connection and support. A dedicated network for women in field roles was established, enabling participants to share experiences, exchange ideas and build connections across the organisation.
Our DEI Council, which oversees implementation of our DEI Strategic Plan, continued to mature as an important governance body.
This year we:
- Launched Voices Together, our employee network for culturally and linguistically diverse employees and allies.
- Continued our partnership with the University of Adelaide's Women in STEM Careers program.
- Progressed initiatives to support women working in field roles, including facility improvements, targeted engagement and the establishment of a dedicated employee network.
- Progressed towards our Reconciliation Action Plan and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment and Retention Plan target of 3 per cent workforce representation by 2027, with 2.2 per cent of our workforce identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
- Finalised key resources to support the implementation of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment and Retention Plan, including a Cultural Capability Framework and guidelines for engaging and working with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and communities.
- Expanded engagement and partnership activities through participation in metropolitan and regional employment expos.
- Continued collaboration with the Clontarf Foundation, including hosting students from the Christies Beach Clontarf Academy during National Reconciliation Week and supporting the Southern Cup Senior Football Carnival at Noarlunga Downs.
We achieved:
- 43.15 per cent of leadership positions held by women (target: 40 per cent).
- 44 employees identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, representing 2.2 per cent of the workforce (target: 3 per cent by 2027).
Disability access and inclusion
We continued to build awareness of disability access and inclusion through initiatives that support both employees and customers. In 2025-26, we delivered 2 pilot sessions of our Leading Neurodivergent Teams program, which helps leaders better understand and support neurodiverse team members and strengthens inclusive workplace practices.
We improved accessibility for customers through initiatives such as our Priority Assist program and expanded the range of accessible communications available including 3 accessible videos explaining customer bills in a clear and easy-to-understand way, helping customers to access information and services in ways that best meet their needs.
Performance management
Our annual performance and development cycle is aligned to the financial year and supports goal setting, development and performance conversations across the organisation.
In 2025-26, 87.5 per cent of our people completed their annual performance reviews.