Who we are

Our commitment to Greater Sydney

At Sydney Water, we work in partnership with our contractors and suppliers under the guidance of our Board and Executive. We aim to put our customers first and engage with them to ensure we're delivering the services they want and need. We're living our values as we try to create a better life for our communities through world-class water and wastewater services.


The big picture

At Sydney Water, we exist for our customers.

We provide safe drinking water to more than 5 million people across Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra. We also look after wastewater and some stormwater services to help protect the health of our rivers and beaches.

We're a statutory State Owned Corporation, wholly owned by the NSW Government.

Our Portfolio Minister is the Hon. Rose Jackson MLC, Minister for Water. Our shareholder ministers are the Treasurer and the Minister for Finance.

We operate under the Sydney Water Act 1994 and have 3 equal principal objectives:

  • to protect public health
  • to protect the environment
  • to be a successful business.

Our area of operations (click to enlarge)


Our customers

We consider our customers to be every person and business that comes into contact with our products and services across Sydney, the Illawarra and the Blue Mountains – not just those who are responsible for paying a water bill.​

We continuously engage with customers as an integral part of our enterprise planning process, to understand and respond to customer experiences with our products and services. We do this through extensive research – tracking customer sentiment, satisfaction and interactions through our website and contact centre.​

Recent initiatives also include:

  • the launch of Our Water, Our Voice (in September 2022) – a listening project to understand customers' expectations of us and their priorities for the future.​

  • the establishment of a Customer and Community Reference Group (CCRG) – a newly formed customer advisory body comprising independent members to represent the different views and interests of the community and our customers.


Our community engagement

We engage with the community and stakeholders to help us plan and operate our business.

We work in a dynamic environment. How well we perform is measured and monitored by a range of stakeholders, including:

  • regulators
  • shareholders
  • community
  • businesses
  • media
  • local, state and Commonwealth governments.

Our community engagement practices comply with the international participation standards (IAP2). We aim to build strong relationships with current and future stakeholders.


Our people

We're committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce that supports our strategy, reflects our values and is reinforced through our signature behaviours.

We build on our safety, culture and leadership journey to make Sydney Water the best place to work.

Visit our careers site if you'd like to join us in creating a better life for Greater Sydney.


Customer Charter

We value you and what you have to say. We listen and act on your feedback.

Our Customer Charter was developed based on what you told us you needed, wanted and expected..

 

We're committed to …

Keeping services reliable and affordable

We deliver a safe and reliable service, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and continue to work hard to keep bills as low as possible.

 

We heard that … We will … Please help us by …

above all else, you want safe and clean drinking water.

  • continue to provide you with high quality drinking water – one of the best in the world. 
  • letting us know of any issues with the supply, taste or odour of your drinking. water. Report an issue.

water and wastewater services should be reliable and affordable for everyone. 

  • continue to monitor and maintain an effective wastewater network.
  • ensure bills are transparent and accurate
  • continue to work hard to keep bills as low as possible.
  • promote our financial assistance programs and provide help should you need it.
  • letting us know of any water leaks in your community. Report a leak.
  • contacting us early, before things get too stressful if you need help paying your bills. Find out how we can help.

Being proactive and easy to deal with

You matter to us. We value your time, respect you and your individual circumstances, and won't treat you like a number.

 

We heard that … We will … Please help us by …

you want to be proactively informed about any issues affecting your water and wastewater services.

  • proactively reach out on things that matter and relate to you, be open and transparent and keep you in the loop.
  • ensure there are many ways to contact us and when you really need to talk to someone, know that there will always be a local at the other end of the line.
  • continue to focus on cultural diversity by providing interpreters and translated information.
  • respect your preferences and your privacy if you let us know that you do not want us to contact you.
  • continue to welcome your feedback and manage complaints in a fair and respectful way.
  • providing and/or updating your contact details like email and mobile number (via our website) so we can contact you promptly if there's something important you need to know about and/or plan for. Log in to your My Account or sign up for SMS alerts.

we need to be easy to deal with, maintaining a standard of customer service that meets or exceeds your expectations.

  • listen to understand your individual circumstances and personalise our approach to make sure you are OK.
  • minimise the impact of outages. 
  • strive to get it right the first time for you. Sometimes, this may not be possible, but we'll tell you upfront and keep you up to date.
  • providing honest, helpful feedback and communicating any issues respectfully. Provide feedback.

Planning for the future and keeping the environment as a top priority

We have an important role to play in ensuring the quality of life for future generations and we take this seriously.

 

We heard that … We will … Please help us by …

the protection of our waterways and the environment is essential now and for future generations.

  • engage with you and make decisions for long-term sustainability with the community in mind
  • safeguard and enhance our natural waterways, habitats, and recreation areas for improved liveability for our communities.
  • continue to manage wastewater effectively with the environment top of mind.
  • work to reduce our carbon emissions and maintain our commitment to turning waste into energy.
  • letting us know of any wastewater overflows in parks and bushlands so we can get on to it straight away. We're open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 13 20 90.
  • not putting the wrong things down the toilet, drain or sink, to help avoid overflows into homes, backyards and local waterways . More information, including tips.

you need a water network that reaches all customers, is resilient to drought and will deliver long-term water security.

  • continue to support, promote, and educate about water conservation.
  • continue to seek out new innovative ways to meet the demands of a growing population.

Our values

Our values demonstrate what we stand for. They guide our behaviours and decisions at work.

We have the customer at the heart.

We work together with integrity.

We care for one another, the environment, and the community.

We own our decisions and make every dollar count.

We create better and simpler ways of doing things.


Our signature behaviours

We live our values through our 5 signature behaviours.

Focus on solutions

We're proactive, have a positive attitude and are open to change. We'll:

  • strive to build value for our customers in all that we do
  • demonstrate a positive outlook
  • find a way to make things better
  • be open to suggestions, new ideas and new ways of working.

Stand up and contribute

We value the diversity, experience and knowledge of ourselves and colleagues. We choose to participate, share our view and get involved. We'll:

  • actively participate and work with others to make it happen
  • challenge respectfully
  • share knowledge and offer opinions.

Do what we say

We're open, honest and transparent. We're trustworthy, act with integrity and lead by example. We'll:

  • agree what to do and by when
  • get it done and do it well
  • demonstrate openness and honesty
  • regularly update, inform and share information.

Support and encourage

We achieve more as a team. We build effective relationships, celebrate success and help each other to be the best we can be. We will:

  • actively listen, show care and concern for others and build relationships
  • identify and acknowledge others' strengths and skills
  • make time for others to help people build from their strengths. 

Own the outcome

We own our role and understand how it contributes to the success of the corporate strategy and outcomes for our customers. We take personal responsibility and accountability for our decisions, actions and results. We'll:

  • own the role and accountabilities – and fulfil them
  • actively support business or team decisions and accomplishments
  • hold ourselves and others to account respectfully for behaviours and actions.

Our management structure

Board

The Board of Directors sets our overall strategy, policy and direction. The Board Charter describes:

  • the Board's powers and functions
  • the Board's responsibilities to staff, customers and the community, shareholding Ministers, portfolio Minister and regulators
  • how Board meetings are run
  • membership requirements of the Board and its committees.

Find out more about our Board members.

Executive

The Sydney Water Executive team includes the Managing Director and General Managers of each division. Find out more about our Executive team.

Sydney Water's ABN
Our Australian Business Number (ABN) is 49 776 225 038.


Corruption hotline

We're committed to being fair, honest, safe and responsible in all that we do. If you suspect corrupt behaviour from any of our staff or contractors, please let us know immediately. We promise to keep your details confidential.

Call the independent corruption hotline 

Our independent corruption hotline 1800 500 965 is managed by KPMG. You can also report confidentially online at KPMG Faircall or write to KPMG Faircall's secure postal address: 

The Faircall Manager
KPMG Forensic
PO Box H67
AUSTRALIA SQUARE  NSW  1213

To find out more, read the Privacy Statement: Faircall.

Report corrupt behaviour to Sydney Water

If you prefer, we invite you to get in touch with Gordon Yee, Corruption Prevention & Investigations Manager, Sydney Water.