Reaching out to community

There is always so much to highlight from these presentations including the work our teams are doing to engage with our customers and communities on important projects.

One of those projects has been the testing of the new version of our water ordering system WaterLINE.

WaterLINE enables our customers to do a number of things including placing irrigation orders, monitoring water usage based on allocation and entitlement, as well as scheduling and managing water deliveries.

The new system provides improved functionality and user experience and works as a 24/7 service.

A pilot group of just under 20 customers have been testing the new WaterLINE ahead of its official release later this year.

The feedback our teams have received from these customers will help refine the platform before its release.

This project is a great example of the importance of engaging with our customers to deliver reliable and affordable services for them both now and into the future.

Another project that has seen significant recent progress due to community engagement is our future service strategy for the Loch Garry Flood Protection District.

Four community drop-in sessions recently took place in Nathalia, Wyuna and Undera to allow Loch Garry customers and interested community members to learn more about different shortlisted management options for this important piece of infrastructure.

Around 60 people attended these sessions and have provided our teams with helpful feedback on the management options.

These sessions, as well as several online ones, have played a crucial role in helping us develop a greater understanding of where to go next for the project.

I look forward to hearing more about how our customer’s feedback on these options will help inform the next phase of the project.

Another development I’m excited to see progress is our new customer committees with most holding their first meeting recently.

These committees have a number of objectives including helping our staff better understand the strategic issues facing customers and their communities and what their current and future service expectations are.

Committee members shared their backgrounds and motivations for joining the group at the first meeting, while staff outlined the objectives of the group.

These new customer committees were established earlier this year and have replaced the previous water service committees.

I am eager to see how these groups progress and what insights our staff gather from the committee members.

Away from projects and customer committees though, I’m also happy to see our staff out and about at community events highlighting the work we do.

That included having staff on site for the ‘A Day in the Hills’ community event that took place at Rye at Tallis in the Dookie Hills — an event designed to support mental health and social connection in regional communities.

G-MW staff are also at Elmore Field Days this week ready to answer your questions across the three days of the event.

That includes any questions you have about your account and managing your water allocation through WaterLINE.

Charmaine Quick is Goulburn-Murray Water’s managing director.