Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-05-17 Daily Xml

Contents

Answers to Questions

SA Water

In reply to the Hon. J.A. DARLEY (10 February 2015).

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change): The Minister for Water and the River Murray has received this advice:

1. SA Water's billing system is based on property assessments created by the State Valuation Office. In 2014 the Valuer-General applied a policy for the implementation of separate assessments of Independent Living Units (ILUs) within the Para Vista Retirement Village. In accordance with SA Water's normal billing practices SA Water created and issued individual accounts for the 26 ILU's within the village.

In March 2015, following across-government working group established to consider the impacts of separate ILU assessments SA Water agreed to implement a Retirement Village Discounted Single Assessment (RVDSA) which will allow SA Water to continue to bill the Para Vista Retirement Village as a single entity and not issue individual bills for the 26 ILUs.

2. Effective 1 July 2015 SA Water introduced a limited period RVDSA charge to apply to the Para Vista Retirement Village and other retirement villages that will be impacted by the Valuer-General's policy.

The RVDSA will run for a period of ten years ending on 30 June 2025.

The RVDSA ensures that current residents of impacted retirement villages will not be worse off as a result of individual assessments of ILUs.

3. Investigations have been finalised. The RVDSA was published in the South Australian Government Gazette dated 9 July 2015 and implemented by SA Water. This will ensure that retirement villages are not disadvantaged by the implementation of the Valuer-General's policy.

4. The 26 accounts were on hold until investigations were completed. Effective July 2015 SA Water applied the RVDSA to the Para Vista Lutheran Home and revised bills were issued. SA Water contacted the Para Vista Lutheran Home to discuss the billing arrangements.

5. The RVDSA will be applied to other existing retirement villages impacted by the Valuer-General's policy to ensure they are not disadvantaged. The Valuer-General has agreed to not conduct any further ILU assessments on existing retirement villages until 2016-17.