MEDIA RELEASE
13 November 2013	Embargo: 11:30 am (Canberra Time)	192/2013

Household water prices have gone up 11 per cent over the last year, according to information released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

"We found that the average price households were paying for water has gone up, from $2.44 per thousand litres in 2010-11 to $2.72 in 2011-12 - which is an 11 per cent increase," said Mark Lound from the ABS.

"While there are differences in water quality, households were still paying more than 30 times as much for water than agricultural users, who were paying around nine cents per thousand litres.

"Agriculture was the largest water consumer, at 9,418 gigalitres - that's about twenty times the volume of Sydney Harbour - or nearly 60 per cent of Australia's total water consumption in 2011–12.

Households consumed 1,715 gigalitres, (11%), mining 677 gigalitres, (4%) and manufacturing 557 gigalitres, (3%).

"Households in South Australia were paying the highest prices for water in urban areas, at $3.96 per thousand litres, followed by Queensland, at $2.95 and the ACT, $2.86.

"In total, households spent over $4.3 billion on water and industry spent around $2.7 billion."


Media note: Please ensure when reporting on ABS data that you attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or ABS) as the source.