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Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

This page is to keep you updated on our planning and response to the virus outbreak.

North East Water has a comprehensive response plan for managing the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) to ensure we continue to provide essential water and sewage services for our customers.

Our priorities focus on the communities we serve and our staff. We have changed the way we operate to ensure we keep our people safe, and keep your drinking water flowing and toilets flushing.

Our services

We will continue to supply safe, clean tap water directly to your home every day. There is no evidence that tap water is affected by the virus or that it is transmitted by water.

We will continue to keep your toilets flushing. To reduce the chance of pipe blockages, we ask that you only flush the ‘Three P’s’ including pee, poo and (toilet) paper. Please put everything else, including tissues, wipes or cloths in the bin.

Some planned water and sewer network upgrades have been put on hold so we can focus on keeping essential services running.

Please be patient as our normal operational or administrative services may take a little longer than normal during this time.

Our people

We are communicating regularly with our teams as the advice and direction about the virus is updated.

Below are some of the steps we’ve taken to support the health and wellbeing of people across our workplaces:

  • strict sanitisation processes across all sites
  • public access to all North East Water sites closed
  • operational teams separated to minimise virus transmission risk
  • majority of office-based staff working from home 
  • all non-essential travel prohibited
  • meetings via teleconferencing
     

Contacting our office

To minimise risk to our staff and customers, all our sites are now closed to the public. 

Our Customer Service Centre is fully operational and can be contacted by phone, Monday to Friday, 8.30am – 5.00pm on 1300 361 622. 

Service faults and emergencies can be reported 24 hours a day on 1300 361 644.

For customers who are used to paying their bill in person, please call us on 1300 361 633 and we will help you with paying it a different way.

Financial support

We are conscious that this is a very stressful time and many customers are experiencing significant financial hardship.

We want your water bill to be the least of your concerns. If you are having difficulty paying your bill, please visit newater.com.au/help to chat with, or request a callback from, our support team. Otherwise our team members are available on 1300 361 633 and we will do everything we can to provide assistance. 

We have a number of ways we can help customers through several hardship programs, and we can also tailor the assistance to suit your current needs.

During this period we have also stopped all supply restriction measures for people who can’t pay their bills.

More information on financial support

Construction projects

Some of our major construction works have been impacted, however we are still hopeful of delivering our essential infrastructure upgrade projects with minimal interruptions.

Any delays to projects will not affect provision of services to our communities.

Community events

We’ve revised our sponsorship calendar and withdrawn mobile drink station bookings indefinitely, consistent with Australian Government advice.

Department of Health & Human Services

Coronavirus (COVID-19) information