West Australians are paying the second highest water rates in the country, according to a report from the National Water Commission.
The average residential water bill in WA was $1053 in 2010-11, a 5 per cent increase on the previous financial year.
Only Darwin, with $1116, had higher water charges. WA was well in front of Melbourne, at $730, Brisbane, $963, and Adelaide, with $938.
In its annual analysis of the state water suppliers, the commission also revealed the WA Water Corporation was the most profitable of all the state-owned utilities in the country.
The corporation posted a $551 million profit after tax, which was almost double the profit recorded by the eastern states.
Of that, the dividend to the state government was $402.8 million.
Premier Colin Barnett defended the large profit, and said West Australians used more water and would therefore face higher bills.
“Western Australians use more water for a whole variety of reasons, one of them clearly being that our summers, the hot times here, are dry,” he told 6PR.
He said WA was using 50 per cent more water than the eastern states, where there was also greater access to dam water.
“The cost of supplying water here is more expensive. Here we’re having to rely on groundwater and desalination,” he said.
Opposition water spokesman Fran Logan said the dividend was too high.
“The water minister can determine what dividend is taken out. They don’t have to take out a dividend that big,” he told 6PR.
He called on the government to outline whether there would be any further price rises this year.
“(The Water Corporation) runs a very tight ship, but they do make an awful lot of money out of Perth households and Perth families, how about returning some of that back to the residents by way of a bit of a bonus,” he said.
The commission found Perth’s average annual residential water supply remained high, at 264 KL.
Capital expenditure fell by 25 per cent to $641 million, most of which went towards the construction of the Southern Seawater Desalination Plant at Binningup.
While the commission applauded the Water Corporation’s performance with sewer and water main bursts and leaks, it found WA was the second biggest generator of greenhouse gasses, which had increased by 8 per cent.
