%20-%20no%20wave.png/_jcr_content/renditions/cq5dam.web.1440.810.jpeg)
Reports strategies and plans
Read our strategies and plans such as our Corporate Strategy 2028, Corporate Plan, Annual Report and Drinking Water Quality Report.
Our 5-year corporate strategy outlines how we'll deliver healthy water for life for our customers, community and environment, now and into the future.
Water for Life
Greater Melbourne Urban Water and System Strategy: Water for Life (known as ‘Water for Life’) is a shared plan, we developed with Greater Western Water, Melbourne Water and Yarra Valley Water.
The strategy outlines how we plan to shore up Melbourne’s water supplies for the next 50 years. This includes how we aim to balance Melbourne’s water needs by increasing efficiencies, diversifying water sources and using new water supplies.
Water for Life builds on the work we’re already delivering to provide Greater Melbourne with a secure and sustainable water supply for the next 50 years.
Our water challenges
We face considerable water challenges over the next 50 years
Melbourne is consistently ranked as one of the world’s most liveable cities and water makes a significant contribution to the prosperity of people and places. However projected population growth, together with uncertain climate conditions, present challenges for Melbourne’s water future.
We also need to provide enough water for the environment to maintain waterway health and to preserve and protect Traditional Owner values.
We need to act now
While we have the benefit of time, we need to act now to be ready for the uncertainty that lies ahead.
Our findings show that we need to add alternative water supplies, such as desalination, recycled water and stormwater to our existing system within the next 10 years, as well as several system augmentations over the next 50 years.
Planning now we ensure we can deliver on these initiatives and future proof Greater Melbourne’s water supply.
We need a lot of water
By 2070, in a scenario with high demand, a drying climate and less water flowing into our rivers, we may need to double our water supplies – meaning we’d need to add an average of 12 billion litres of additional supply each year.
While our storages are in a strong position now, an overall trend of warmer and drier conditions is expected over the next 50 years.
The amount of water we have available can change quickly. Maintaining high storage levels helps ensure we can adapt while having time to plan and make system improvements.
Read the strategy
Read the full Water for Life strategy
Short on time? Read the summary of the Water for Life strategy
Read the accessible version.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Water for Life and who produced it?
Water for Life is a joint strategy for the future, which plans to ensure a safe and secure water supply for Greater Melbourne over the next 50 years, including specific actions for the next 5 years.
It was developed collaboratively by Greater Western Water, Melbourne Water, South East Water and Yarra Valley Water, in partnership with neighbouring regional water corporations.
What area does the strategy cover?
The strategy covers the entire service regions of Greater Western Water, Melbourne Water, South East Water and Yarra Valley Water. Throughout the strategy we refer to this area collectively as Greater Melbourne.
How was the strategy developed?
Beyond industry collaboration, the strategy is also a shared plan with Traditional Owners and the community. As part of the development process, both groups developed a set of criteria which was used to assess and short-list future options.
What stage is the strategy in now?
We’re in a 5-year implementation phase and each of Melbourne's water corporations have already begun delivering on projects which support outcomes of the strategy. This work is being coordinated through the Managing Directors Accord, set up to tackle the region’s biggest challenges.
Progress against the strategy is reported at the end of each year as part of the Annual Water Outlook.
Why is the strategy important?
Across Greater Melbourne, we’re facing some big water challenges. Our population is growing and we’re using more water, our climate is drying and there’s less water in our rivers. Add to that an expanding grid of customers and a thriving economy, and we’re seeing increasing pressure put on our most valuable resource – water.
Looking forward, under some climate and demand scenarios, we’ll start reaching an imbalance in supply and demand in the next 10 years. That means we’ll have to take action beyond our current solutions to ensure Greater Melbourne has enough water into the future.
Why do we need to act now?
Our current water storage levels are secure, but from history we know droughts can start suddenly and last for an extended period. Even if we don’t experience a drought over the coming decade, the amount of water we receive from our catchments may not be enough to meet our needs.
Responding to this potential water supply shortfall will require investment in significant infrastructure. This infrastructure takes a long time to plan and build. By planning and preparing now, and ensuring infrastructure is ready to be built when needed, we can ensure that we make the right investment at the right time.
What options will Water for Life deliver?
There’s no single solution to the complex challenges we face. Water for Life will deliver a range of options in 3 categories:
Enhancing and expanding our existing system (including new manufactured water sources, like desalination).
Water efficiency (including finding ways to use less water in our homes, businesses, communities and distribution networks, like through behaviour change programs, digital meters and water efficient household appliances).
Integrated water management (including using recycled water and stormwater for non-drinking uses, to reduce demand on our drinking water supplies).
Annual Water Outlook
Every year we work with our fellow metropolitan water organisations to publish the Annual Water Outlook for Melbourne. This outlines a number of individual and joint industry short and medium-term actions to improve future drought response.
Melbourne's Water Outlook 2025
Melbourne's Water Outlook 2025 (accessible version)
Under the Water Act we’re required to manage water restriction rules under a by-law. Our by-law incorporates four stages of water restrictions and specifies what can and cannot be done when each stage of restriction is in place. If a stage of restriction is in place, it supersedes Permanent Water Rules.
Our Corporate Plan 2024–29 is our roadmap for delivering healthy water for life for our customers, community and environment, now and into the future.
This plan explains how decisions about water restrictions are made.
Stormwater is an evolving area of opportunity in the water industry which also presents a number of economic, regulatory, and operational challenges, read how South East Water is managing it.
Our annual reports provide an overview of our operational performance, audited financial reports and key highlights, along with statements on our governance and management practices.
2023-24 Annual Report / 2023-24 Consultancy expenditure
If you need to access a previous year’s report please contact us.
We produce an annual drinking water quality report, which details our performance against the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act 2003, Safe Drinking Water Regulations 2015 and the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 2011 (ADWG).
2023-24 Annual Water Quality report
At South East Water, we’re committed to building an inclusive workplace that reflects the diversity of our community and our customers. In March 2022 we proudly submitted our first Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP) Commission for Gender Equality in the Public Sector. Our GEAP helps us plan, implement and measure change in the workplace.
In February 2024 we submitted our first Gender Equality Action Plan mid-term progress report, including a review and audit. You can read about our progress below.
Gender Equality Action Plan Progress Report 2021-23
Gender Equality Action Plan Progress Report 2021-23 impact assessment
Also see:
Our Gender Equality Action Plan
Our progress overall
Our GEAP is due to be completed by 30 June 2025 and has 38 actions. Half-way through we’ve successfully completed 9 actions, with 22 in-progress and are on track for completion by the due date. Four actions have been re-evaluated resulting in them being void/cancelled.
Our Gender Equality Action Plan review and audit has pushed us to take further action towards achieving gender equality in both our polices and in practice within our workplace.
This mid-term review will enable us to identify how we can improve our future progress reporting, complete all outstanding actions and consider what a new Gender Equality Action Plan may look like beyond 2025.
Key facts and figures
Summary against each of the 7 workplace gender equality indicators
1. Gender composition at all levels of the workforce
- Gender composition of our overall workforce has increased by 3% for women (up from 45% in 2021).
- Increase in the number of women (4% increase) and men (1% increase) with disabilities in the business.
2. Gender composition of our board
- On our board, we have 9 non-executive directors including the chair, and a managing director on our board - our chair and managing director are women.
- There is 60% women and 40% men which doesn't include the managing director.
- Gender composition of our board has increased by 6% for women (up from 50% in 2021).
3. Gender pay equity
- Based on our workforce data and the improvements we've made to our internal pay parity analysis process, we've made good progress from 2021.
- In analysing our workforce audit data, women remain at a 10% pay gap in 2023 as they were in 2021 based on the mean base salary calculation. Self-described employees’ pay gap has decreased from 21% to 13%. Biannually we conduct a thorough pay parity analysis, comparing compensation for employees in similar roles across the organisation, with the aim of identifying and addressing disparities. We’re currently conducting this analysis on Senior Officer level positions with an intention of covering all levels in the future.
4. Workplace sexual harassment
- The number of sexual harassment complaints increased from 2021 (0 complaints) to 2023 (2 complaints). Both complainants in the 2023 period were the subject of harassment and were women. Both resulted in an outcome.
- Although we saw an increase in formal complaints, we’ve seen positive trends in survey results for employees feeling safe to challenge behaviour.
- We’ve also improved our reporting processes ensuring that we’re capturing all complaints.
5. Recruitment, promotion, learning and development
- Our workforce audit data from 2021 and 2023 is similar, with around 55% of new recruits women.
- More women than men exited the organisation in the 2023 reporting period than in the 2021 reporting period. In 2021, 44% of exiting employees were women, in 2023 this increased to 54%.
- Women receiving promotions dropped from 58% in 2021 to 42% in 2023 reporting periods. Looking at survey data, in 2021 31% of women felt they had an equal chance at promotion at South East Water which increased to 51% in 2023.
- In 2023, 60% of women made up those who were awarded internal secondments, a 2% increase.
- Employee experience data shows that 55% of women and 66% of men were satisfied with the way their learning at development needs were addressed in the last 12 months, increases of 25% and 36% respectively.
6. Leave and flexibility
- Workforce data collected for the period 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 shows 50% of our employees had a formal flexible working arrangement in place (and just 11% of respondents who didn’t use any flexible work arrangements).
- Work into our parental leave program is paying off, with the leave being well used by both women and men and no employees exiting the business while on parental leave in the 2023 report period.
7. Gendered work segregation
- In terms of balancing our occupational gender balance, our workforce data shows we've made progress, with an increase of 3% (up to 34%) of managers being women.
- We’ve seen positive results in some traditionally male dominated areas of the organisation, with a small increase in women’s representation as technicians and trade workers (by 4% - up to 34%).
- Recent employee experience data shows that as at October 2023, 4% of men and 3% of women that responded were actively experiencing workplace bullying.
Other data showed that between November 2022 and October 2023:
- 8% of men and 5% of women personally experienced discrimination at South East Water.
- 78% of men said they can be themselves at work, while just 70% of women agreed.
- 75% of women and 78% of men said they feel as if they belong at South East Water.
- Around 78% of women and 90% of men feel culturally safe at work.
- When looking at results for work allocation, 85% of women and 90% of men feel work is allocated fairly, regardless of gender in their workgroup.