Hunter Water's Customer and Community Advisory Group

Hunter Water's Customer and Community Advisory Group (CCAG) is an advisory forum made up of community representatives who provide advice on customer and community interests.
The Group is Chaired by Councillor Paul Le Mottee, representative of Port Stephens Council.
The CCAG enables two-way, open communication between Hunter Water and local councils, customer representatives, and environmental and community organisations. In recent years the group has provided advice and feedback to Hunter Water on topics including:
- pricing reviews
- treatment plant upgrades
- flooding in the lower Hunter
- land developments within our drinking water catchments
- improving the health of Throsby Creek
The CCAG's charter is available here.
Hunter Water's Customer and Community Advisory Group (CCAG) is an advisory forum made up of community representatives who provide advice on customer and community interests.
The Group is Chaired by Councillor Paul Le Mottee, representative of Port Stephens Council.
The CCAG enables two-way, open communication between Hunter Water and local councils, customer representatives, and environmental and community organisations. In recent years the group has provided advice and feedback to Hunter Water on topics including:
- pricing reviews
- treatment plant upgrades
- flooding in the lower Hunter
- land developments within our drinking water catchments
- improving the health of Throsby Creek
The CCAG's charter is available here.
Do you have an idea you'd like to share with the Customer and Community Advisory Group? Add it here:
Message the CCAG
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When is the next meeting for me to come to
trucklicence asked over 1 year agoHi there
Thanks for your interest in the committee. CCAG members are appointed to the Customer and Community Advisory Group following the process outlined in the CCAG Charter, available from the right side panel.
The group comprises representatives from across the Lower Hunter community who are able to provide advice on the interests and concerns of our customers. The committee provides feedback and input to our planning work and operational matters.
While meeting papers and minutes of each meeting are made available, the meetings themselves are closed to the public (i.e. you have to be a CCAG member to attend). The committee meet four times a year.
If you're interested in being considered for membership, here is a copy of our standard membership form, also available from the right side panel.
There are plenty of other ways our customers and community can get involved in local projects and helping us to plan for our water future, including online surveys and discussions, community events, customer surveys and deliberative forums. You may be interested in having your say on our Planning for Our Water Future project.
Thanks!
Your Voice team
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How were the committee members chosen and how can we get representation in this group?
We need water, We need Tillegra Dam asked almost 3 years agoHi there, Members are appointed to the Customer and Community Advisory Group following the process outlined in the CCAG Charter which is available from the right hand bar on the Your Voice website. There is a standard membership form also available from the Your Voice page.
Members are appointed for terms of two years, which can be renewed.
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Hunter Water Community update Autumn Edition 2018 in my letterbox had information regarding this. I quote"temporary desalination plant will only be built if water storage levels fall below 35%, and Hunter Water has implemented all other water efficiency measures" But the website hunterwater.com.au/tempdesal has "Construction would be a measure of last resort after a number of water saving measures." What is it? ALL measures or a number of measures? FIxing leaks, dual flush tiolets, water saving shower heads awesome! BUT If the connection fee/service charge was removed from our water bills and you only paid per litre of water you acually used it would be a huge water efficiency measure. People would save water because it would be more expensive per litre. So the average person would pay the same to hunter water per year. But those wasting/using more water would pay more, and those using less would pay more. There is next to no incentive to save water (except for being a good citizen that doesn't want more dams or desal plants built) with it being so cheap as it is per litre at the moment. When is HUnter water going to implement this "User pays" water efficiency measures? Either way Hunter Water needs to clear up this confusion of a hardcopy newsletter and website information which is misleading and possibly contradictory.
daniel endicott asked almost 3 years agoHi Daniel
Sorry for the delay in replying to your questions and comments. Thank you for your interest in the temporary desalination project, and for pointing out the inconsistency in the wording on our website. We will update the site to clarify our commitment to undertaking all the water saving measures identified in the Lower Hunter Water Plan. With regards to your suggestion to adopt a different pricing mechanism, please note that Hunter Water’s pricing structure is periodically reviewed and determined by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART). IPART’s current price determination applies until 30 June 2020. Hunter Water will be making a submission to IPART by 30 June 2019 that will help to set prices from 1 July 2020. We encourage community members to have their say regarding our 2019 submission to IPART on the dedicated page within Hunter Water Your Voice (https://yourvoice.hunterwater.com.au/Price-Review-2019).
Please let me know if I can assist further or supply any other information.
Kind regards, Jen -
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If the connection fee/service charge was removed from our water bills and you only paid per litre of water you acually used it would be a huge water efficiency measure. People would save water because it would be more expensive per litre. So the average person would pay the same to hunter water per year. But those wasting/using more water would pay more, and those using less would pay more. There is next to no incentive to save water (except for being a good citizen that doesn't want more dams or desal plants built) with it being so cheap as it is per litre at the moment. When is HUnter water going to implement this "User pays" water efficiency measures?
daniel endicott asked almost 3 years agoHi Daniel thanks for your enthusiasm. We have heard and understand your suggestion. Emma has responded to you on the Conserving Water page. I'm including a copy of that response here. Regards, Jen.
The average household water bill has two components: a) The fixed charge, which is about 60% of the average bill, and includes the wastewater and water service charges; and b) the variable charge, which is the actual water usage, and represents about 40% of the average bill. When looking at only the water part of the bill, about 10% is fixed. Most (90%) is variable, based on actual water usage. The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) sets and regularly reviews our prices. We will propose new prices in mid-2019 to apply from 1 July 2020, after a whole community engagement process to understand our customers’ views and preferences on the balance between fixed and variable water charges. These processes will be taking place throughout this year.
CCAG Charter and Membership Form
Meeting dates
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09 March 2021
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15 December 2020
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25 August 2020
Meeting papers
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CCAG meeting agenda - March 2021 - updated (761 KB) (pdf)
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Draft Minutes and Combined Presentations - December 2020 meeting (5.5 MB) (pdf)
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Responses to Questions on Notice - CCAG March 2021 (333 KB) (pdf)
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Resource - Jan 2018 - UTS ISF Water Efficiency and Demand Management Opportunities for Hunter Water (4.73 MB) (pdf)
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CCAG meeting agenda - December 2020 (285 KB) (pdf)
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Meeting guide - Etiquette and Tips for Zoom (183 KB) (pdf)
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Questions on Notice - November 2020 - Ms Linda Bowden - Part 1 (227 KB) (pdf)
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Questions on Notice - November 2020 - Ms Linda Bowden - Part 2 (226 KB) (pdf)
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Meeting Minutes - August 2020 (395 KB) (pdf)
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Copy of presentations - August 2020 (6.46 MB) (pdf)
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Meeting Agenda - August 2020 (217 KB) (pdf)
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Responses to Questions for CLG/CCAG - Ms Linda Bowden - 24 August 2020 (224 KB) (pdf)
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Meeting Minutes and Presentations - May 2020 (4.69 MB) (pdf)
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Responses to Questions on Notice - Ms Linda Bowden - 12 May 2020 (471 KB) (pdf)
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Meeting agenda - May 2020 (264 KB) (pdf)
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Meeting minutes - March 2020 (301 KB) (pdf)
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Combined presentations - March 2020 (7.52 MB) (pdf)
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Meeting Agenda - March 2020 (267 KB) (pdf)
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Meeting Minutes - November 2019 - including presentations (6.33 MB) (pdf)
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Meeting Agenda - November 2019 (215 KB) (pdf)
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Meeting Minutes - October 2019 (joint session with Hunter Water's Board of Directors) (220 KB) (pdf)
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Meeting Agenda - October 2019 (joint session with Hunter Water's Board of Directors) (197 KB) (pdf)
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Meeting Minutes - August 2019 - including presentations (5.08 MB) (pdf)
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Meeting Agenda - August 2019 (208 KB) (pdf)
CCAG members
Name | Organisation | Membership interest area |
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Cr Paul Le Mottee | Port Stephens Council (Chair) | Local Government |
Cr Brian Adamthwaite | Lake Macquarie City Council | Local Government |
Cr Robert Aitchison | Maitland City Council | Local Government |
Mr David Beins | Customers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds | |
Ms Ange Bevan | Hunter Commercial Services | Business and Customers with disabilities |
Ms Linda Bowden | Save the Williams River Coalition | Environmental groups and Customers living in rural and urban fringe areas |
Ms Thea Bray | Public Interest Advocacy Centre | Residential customers and Organisations representing low income households |
Ms Kerindy Clarke | Indigenous Australians and Residential Customers | |
Mayor John Connors | Dungog Shire Council | Local Government |
Ms Carol Cowley | Hunter Local Land Services | Environmental groups and Customers living in rural and urban fringe areas |
Cr Melanie Dagg | Cessnock City Council | Local Government |
Ms Amy de Lore | Hunter Business Chamber | Business |
Ms Sue Hirsch | Medowie Progress Association | Customers living in rural and urban fringe areas |
Cr Jason Dunn | City of Newcastle | Local Government |
Dr Troy Gaston | University of Newcastle | Business Customers |
Mr William Lennox | Maitland Masonic Centre | Pensioners and Residential customers |
Ms Jean McGarry | LM Sustainable Neighbourhood Alliance | Environmental groups and Residential customers |
Mr Joseph Popov | Community Disability Alliance Hunter | Customers with disabilities |
Ms Suzanne Johns | National Seniors Association - Newcastle Branch | Pensioners and Residential customers |
Mr Leroy Wilkinson | Indigenous Australians |