ASBG has written to the Ombudsman in relation to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to release Sydney Water's top 50 water users and their consumption going back some 8 years.
In response ASBG pointed out the significant general improvements made in the efficiency of water in the Sydney region, which was collectively as a result of action by industry, grant programs such as Sydney Water's Every Drop Counts program and other government initiatives such as Water Action Savings Plans.
Hence the issue is not the performance of industry in general, but the impact competitors and competing nations could do to Sydney's businesses. The need for confidentiality of resource use data has many justifications including:
- Competitors assessing the production levels of a site for future planning and obtaining additional market share.
- Competitors ascertaining product formulations, recipes, costs and other proprietary information.
- Competitors identifying sensitive resources and entering into price wars during times of supply shortage.
- Countries assessing, by the release of such data, that a local company has been provided with a form of government assistance, thereby launching international court challenges which can lead to trade barriers being established.
 ASBG's Letter on the release of top water users | 104 kB |
