About the survey
We are committed to continual monitoring of the department's performance as a regulator of local water utilities and continual improvement of our processes.
Since June 2021, the department has undertaken a 6-monthly survey of the local water utility sector to understand stakeholders’ views about how we regulate, support and work in partnership with local water utilities and to identify where we can improve.
The survey is designed to help track views about the department and informs key aspects of the department’s work, including that of the Town Water Risk Reduction Program and the Water Utilities Branch. The department repeats the survey at six monthly intervals to track progress.
Regulator perception survey results dashboard
All past survey data is presented in the visual dashboard below. The Regulator perception trends tab presents all past survey data to show performance over time.
Commentary on historical survey data
As shown in previous surveys, general positivity continued in December 2022 across survey questions 1-8. The percentage of respondents remained steady that agree:
- that the department is an effective collaborator on resolving issues
- coordinates well with co regulators
- supports local water utilities.
The department has also maintained significant improvements in being outcomes focused and transparent and open about expectations and processes.
The December 2022 result for how the department communicates is not as strong as the standout June 2022 result. The data shows that this backward step is explained by respondents selecting “don’t know” which indicated respondents are unsure.
There is a general downward trend in the number of respondents and the department expects this will grow as local water utilities that have engaged with the new way of working under the Regulatory and Assurance Framework use the survey as an opportunity to provide feedback on their experiences.
About 80% of respondents in December 2022 reported that they understand the Regulatory and Assurance Framework and know how to work within it. About 50% of respondents feel that the department is changing.
Pre December 2022 survey reports
Results from surveys conducted before December 2022 were published in a report format and can be downloaded below: