FAQs

EWON can take complaints from customers or community members impacted by NSW’s five statutory irrigation corporations:

• Murrumbidgee Irrigation
• Murray Irrigation
• Coleambally Irrigation
• Jemalong Irrigation
• Western Murray Irrigation.

If the complaint is outside EWON’s jurisdiction, we can also provide a ‘no wrong door’ referral service for customers and impacted community members, connecting them with the most appropriate channels to address their complaints.

When will I be able to make a complaint to EWON?

EWON will be able to take complaints from 1 July 2026.  Until then, you should raise concerns with the irrigation corporation first.

Who can EWON help

• Customers of an irrigation corporation (for example, someone who holds a Water Entitlement or Water Delivery Contract).
• Small business customers (generally fewer than 20 full-time employees or annual turnover under $2 million).
• People affected by irrigation infrastructure or operations (for example, a neighbouring landholder) even if you are not a customer.

What issues can EWON help with?

We can investigate issues about an irrigation corporation’s actions relating to the supply of water, if those actions affect customers or community members.

This may include complaints about:

• customer service and complaint handling including delays, poor communication or not following the corporation’s process
• water delivery and operational issues eg delivery reliability, outages, interruptions or infrastructure/maintenance impacts
• billing, fees and charges including incorrect charges, disputed invoices, payment arrangements or affordability support
• metering, readings and allocations eg disputed readings or account information
• access, connection, transfers or service requests including delays or administrative errors
• impacts on neighbouring landholders from irrigation infrastructure or operations where the issue is linked to the corporation’s actions or omissions.

What issues can’t EWON help with?

Water and irrigation matters can be complex, and some issues are outside EWON’s jurisdiction. We can’t investigate complaints about:

• irrigation providers that are not members of EWON (ie not one of the five statutory irrigation corporations)
• government policy, legislation, regulations, licensing or ministerial decisions
• matters currently before a court or tribunal or where legal action is pending or underway
• criminal matters, fraud allegations or serious misconduct that must be referred to another authority
• broad community or sector wide issues that are not linked to a specific complaint about an irrigation corporation’s service or decision (EWON considers complaints from individuals directly impacted by the service)
• issues that occurred, or first became known to you, more than 12 months before you contacted EWON.

EWON also cannot review issues that relate to:

• governance or internal decision making of irrigation corporations eg board decisions, voting rights or shareholder treatment
• the setting of prices or charges
• water trading activities, including trading decisions or commercial arrangements.

How does EWON resolve complaints?

We need details of your complaint, the contact you’ve had with the irrigation corporation, their response and what resolution you are seeking.

We will discuss your complaint, ensuring we understand the issues and background. We can provide independent advice and assistance, including information on the applicable guidelines, rules and regulations, industry practice and other information relevant to your complaint.

We also investigate complaints by:

• requesting information from the irrigation corporation/you
• seeking independent expert advice, where appropriate
• continuing to investigate for as long as there are grounds to support further investigation, or until the matter is resolved.

All complaints are different, and the outcome will be based on our independent investigation. We consider what is fair and reasonable regarding laws, codes and good industry practice. We complete our investigations as quickly as possible and will contact you at least once every two weeks to update you.

I have a complaint about an irrigation company not listed as an EWON member; can you help?

EWON’s jurisdiction extends to NSW’s five statutory irrigation corporations, Murrumbidgee Irrigation, Murray Irrigation, Coleambally Irrigation, Jemalong Irrigation and Western Murray Irrigation.

If you receive irrigated water from another company, we will try to direct you to the appropriate organisation to assist you with your complaint. Depending on the circumstances of your complaint this may be WaterNSW, NSW Fair Trading or the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

Can I complain about water bills from my local council?

No, we don’t take complaints about water supplied and billed by most local councils. However, if your complaint is about Shoalhaven Water, we can assist you as they are an EWON member. If your complaint is about another council, you should contact the NSW Ombudsman on 1800 451 5245

What do I need to do before I make a complaint?

You can read about what you should prepare before making a complaint to EWON.

What if the issue impacts multiple people?

EWON looks at complaints individually, we don’t take complaints on behalf of groups.  If you have a complaint that concerns multiple impacted customers or community members, each person will need to contact EWON individually.

Who else can I contact?

If your complaint is not something that EWON can assist with, we will connect you with the most appropriate organisation that can help.  Refer to our No wrong door referral map for more information.

Below are the contact details of some organisations that might be able to assist you.