Supplementary reporting items

There were two instances of potential fraud reported in 2021-22. One matter was reported to the Ombudsman and assessed by the Ombudsman and the Officer for Public Integrity (OPI) as being appropriately dealt with by us. The other matter was referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption South Australia from the OPI and closed following assessment of our internal review which concluded that the allegations did not have any merit. One matter from the previous financial year was closed in 2021-22, following completion of an investigation that found the allegation was unsubstantiated.

We are committed to creating an honest and ethical business environment with zero tolerance of fraud or corruption in any form and perform a range of activities to prevent, detect and respond to fraud and corruption.

Key activities include:

• executive oversight of our Fraud and Corruption Control Framework by the General Manager People, Safety and Governance as designated Fraud and Corruption Control Coordinator
• regular fraud and corruption risk assessments undertaken with risk treatment plans for high-risk areas
• investigations undertaken of all allegations of fraud or corruption in accordance with our Fraud and Corruption Control Framework
• data analytic reviews conducted on payroll and accounts payable transactions by our Internal Audit function
• communication to our people on their requirement to act in accordance with our Ethical Standards Procedure, report matters of concern and the protections provided to them in the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2018.

Strategic risk management supports our forward planning and critical thinking to enable well-informed decision-making across our operations. We work to the principles of risk management as set out in the international risk management standard AS ISO 31000:2018 Risk Management – Guidelines.

All forms of organisational feedback including complaints are seen as opportunities for us to improve our performance in delivering excellent customer experiences, as well as building customer trust and confidence and developing operational efficiencies.

We strive to capture, understand, and resolve complaints at first contact whenever possible. Our Customer Advocate team helps investigate and respond to complaints which were not able to be resolved on first contact.

Additionally, we proactively look for ways to improve the feedback management processes across the business. In 2021-22, we received 2.94 complaints per 1,000 customers, up from 1.99 complaints per 1,000 customers in 2020-21.

Almost one third (29.28 per cent) of all complaints received were recorded as first contact resolution complaints. We responded to 98 per cent of complaints within target times, with 6.14 per cent of complaints escalated to the Ombudsman.

We continue to track well below the national median of 4.2 complaints per 1,000 customers for major utilities, as reported by the Bureau of Meteorology in its National performance report 2020-21: urban water utilities.

Together with the Water Services Association of Australia and other Australian water utilities, we are reviewing and implementing best practice guidelines to extend our ability to capture customer complaints resolved at first contact, to build valuable insights for our business and improve the overall customer experience.

The most common complaint types received in 2021-22 related to:

• water quality
• repairs and maintenance of infrastructure in the metropolitan area
• costs incurred for high water consumption.

In 2021-22, the Energy and Water Ombudsman of South Australia (EWOSA) received 144* complaints about us on a range of issues, which is a decrease from 163 in 2020-21. The highest complaint type remains costs incurred for high water use, which is consistent with complaints in 2020-21.

This year, 83 per cent of customers who had a complaint handled by our Customer Advocate team indicated they were satisfied with our complaints handling process.

Through our complaint management process, the Customer Advocate team completes root cause analyses, post complaint reviews and case studies for complaints throughout the year. Case studies include a full account of the complaint details, a summary of the case investigation, the outcomes, and any applicable process improvement recommendations

In response to customer feedback, we continue to implement changes, and in the past year this has included:

• improvements to complaint recording and data collection including staff training
• estimated billing procedures.

In 2021-22, 587 new customers joined our Customer Assist Program. The program helps residential customers with a payment plan to help pay their bills. At 30 June 2022, 1,657 residential customers had participated in a financial hardship program with a $2,938 average bill balance. The program connects customers with support to help them better manage their bills, and in 2021-22, 570 residential customers successfully exited the program.