Water Gauge 2026: Australia’s water sector is entering a defining decade

Australia’s water sector is facing a convergence of pressures unlike anything seen in recent decades.

More than $25 billion in capital programs, climate volatility, rapid population and housing growth, pricing constraints and rising community expectations are changing what water organisations need to deliver, and the capabilities they need to deliver it.

The Water Gauge 2026 captures the perspectives of CEOs and board members from some of Australia’s largest water organisations to understand how sector leaders are responding.

The findings point to five strategic forces shaping the decade ahead, from financial sustainability and climate resilience to leadership, workforce and digital capability.

The pressure is already visible.

• 85% of leaders identify funding and pricing pressures as their greatest strategic risk.
  
• 64% report leadership capability gaps as their most urgent workforce issue.
  
• Half acknowledge gaps in digital and technology literacy at board and executive level.

These are no longer challenges that can be addressed through infrastructure investment alone.

As capital programs accelerate and operating environments become more complex, leadership capability, workforce depth and digital maturity will increasingly determine which organisations can deliver sustainable outcomes.

The Water Gauge 2026 provides a benchmark for boards and executive teams to assess their readiness, understand where capability gaps are emerging and identify where greater focus is required.

See what water leaders are preparing for

Explore the five strategic forces shaping Australia’s water sector and what they mean for leadership, workforce and organisational capability over the decade ahead.

Download your complimentary copy of The Water Gauge 2026.