I was informed today by Maria from Urban Utilities that section 165 of the 2008 Water Supply Safety and Reliability Act entitles them to charge such a fee.
This is what the Act states
"The service provider may recover from a customer the reasonable cost of complying with section 164 for the customers premises"
Section 164 in a nut shell states they must provide you with the infrastructure for such a service.
What I dont understand is why a public company that is a statutory authority of the Government of Queensland are being permitted to charge $150.78 per quarter for Urban Utilities to supply/maintain a service one cannot use?
The Act states that the recovered cost must be Reasonable. I feel it is unreasonable for a public Company to charge Australian Citizens such a huge fee for nothing.
As a professional I would not be permitted to place invoices into people letterboxes simply because my services were made available to them at their properties boundary.
One can also not help but infer collusion between Mark Bailey (Minister for Energy and Water Supply) and Louise Dudley CEO of Urban Utilities to ensure she is provided with a bonuses every year. Why else would the 'Cost Recovery' be written into an Act?
It is ordinary hard working Australian's that are paying the price, and as an active Australian Citizen I am hopeful that other Australian's are also fed up with our Government's sly tactics to drain us of our hard earned money.
Charge me $150.78 per quarter when I am able to use the service, not whilst the service can not be used and during the time I am struggling the most waiting for my house to be built.