Goulburn Murray Water demands pension pays up for nothing

DOUG Ross has never used a drop of Goulburn Murray Water on his property, but he owes the irrigation corporation $57,036.

70 year-old retired police man Doug Ross from Lancaster is in a dispute with Murray-Goulburn Water over service charges.Picture: ANDY ROGERS

DOUG Ross has never used a drop of Goulburn Murray Water on his property, but he owes the irrigation corporation $57,036.

“I’m not paying … I don’t owe it and I haven’t got it,” the retired police officer said.

Mr Ross, 70, bought his 40ha Lancaster property in 2009, unaware it carried 2.7 delivery shares, that initially incurred annual infrastructure access fees of $6000 that has grown to $7500 a year.

READ MORE: $6M FEE FOR NO WATER

“Why should I pay them anything?” he said. “I’ve never used water from them. I’m not one of their customers and I never will be.”

The pensioner bought the property without water entitlements, relying on a bore and rainwater tanks to meet his stock and domestic needs.

However GMW kept sending the bills, warning him he faced legal action, as well as charging interest on the overdue amount.

Not only does Mr Ross face paying back $57,036, he faces paying another $75,000 in termination fees, if he wants to extinguish the delivery shares.

“They’ve even put a caveat over my property for the amount I owe them,” he said.

“There’s a lot of people in the same boat as me. I feel like they’re (GMW) trying to steal money from us. If I said to you, ‘I’m not going to give you anything, but you have to give me $6000 a year’, what would you say?”

Mr Ross is wanting other GMW customers to join him in a campaign to abolish the delivery shares and to wipe out the debt.

A GMW spokesman said its staff had repeatedly tried to work with Mr Ross on a repayment plan, but he had refused to co-operate.

GMW relies on annual infrastructure fees collected on Mr Ross and its other 14,000 customers’ delivery shares to cover the cost of maintaining its 6300km of channels, 900km of pipes and 3000km of drains.

Mr Ross can be contacted on 0411 046 072.