Tribune’s note

The Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury, Dr Andrew Leigh, announced the completion of a new water pipeline connecting the Jervis Bay Territory to the Shoalhaven water network — ending the territory's reliance on an ageing treatment plant and delivering reliable drinking water to local residents and the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community [TA-260409-infras-09a734948e8f:mBU8].

The project required a $15.8 million Albanese Government investment and involved approximately 11 kilometres of new pipeline along with infrastructure upgrades at the Vincentia and Stone Creek reservoirs [TA-260409-infras-09a734948e8f:mBU8]. Delivery was a partnership arrangement with Shoalhaven City Council, which was consulted alongside the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council and local stakeholders throughout the process and now operates the water supply.

The announcement signals the government's use of infrastructure investment to resolve essential-services gaps in small, constitutionally distinct territories — the Jervis Bay Territory sits outside any state and has no direct local government of its own — making the federal contribution and the hand-off to Shoalhaven City Council the operative delivery mechanism.

The inclusion of the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council in the consultation process is a notable feature of the project's governance structure.

Primary records (1)

The official records this note draws on — the raw primary documents themselves, as published.

MediaNew pipeline secures water future for Jervis Bay TerritoryAndrew Keith LeighThursday 9 April 2026