Congress has called for water to be recognised as a "public good" and access treated as "a fundamental human right."
In a new submission to the Expert Water Commission, Congress highlights the need for a National Water Utility to "oversee delivery of water services" and develop water infrastructure.
However, such a utility must be publicly owned with "assurances that it cannot be sold or privatised."
The Congress submission points out that the future funding of the sector can only be properly tackled when these key issues are addressed.
'the future funding of the system, while a difficult issue to resolve should prioritise maximising the revenue from commercial users. Central government funding will also be required to meet whatever additional costs are incurred. However the precise details of such measures may become more apparent if and when the future ownership of the national water system has been clarified.
The Congress submission says that "a key reason for the failure of the most recent reforms of the water sector to win significant public support was the widely held suspicion that it was simply a stepping stone to privatisation."
According to legal advice obtained by Congress there is no impediment to holding a referendum that would enshrine public ownership of the water system in the Constitution.
