Invergordon man fined for water theft

Wednesday 16 June, 2021

An Invergordon man has been fined $500 for taking water without authorisation. 

The 31-year-old pleaded guilty in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court on April 23 to unauthorised take and use of water.

The Court heard the man took 3.1ML of water without authorisation between November 13, 2018 and June 5, 2019, leaving a negative balance in his water allocation bank account.  The man had corrected the negative balance before the matter was heard in Court. 

The man was also placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond, ordered to pay costs of $84.40, with no conviction recorded due to it being his first offence.

GMW General Manager Water Delivery Services Warren Blyth said the organisation took a zero-tolerance approach to water theft, no matter the amount.

“Whenever a little more water is taken than is allowed, it can easily add up and there is limited water to go around,” he said.

“Water is an extremely valuable commodity in Victoria – if one user doesn’t follow the rules, it impacts every other user in the system, and even the wider community.”

The Water Act 1989 was amended in October 2019 to provide for greater deterrence against water theft by strengthening penalties and giving water corporations a wider range of enforcement tools and powers to suspend or cancel licences.

Mr Blyth urged customers to always keep a positive balance in their water allocation bank account.

Customers with any queries on compliance can phone the GMW Customer Experience Team on 1800 013 357 for assistance.

For more information go to www.gmwater.com.au/compliance