Tim is the founder and Executive Director of Utilities Regulation Advisory (URA), Australia’s only firm specialising in the economic regulation of monopoly network services. Tim has 20 years of experience providing strategic regulatory advice to network businesses (both public and private sector), economic regulators and governments around Australia and overseas.
Prior to establishing URA, Tim was the Director in charge of KPMG’s national water regulation practice, as well as KPMG lead to the Victorian water sector.
During his career, Tim has:
– advised regulators on reforming economic regulation to deliver better customer value;
– advised on the planning, development, review and defence of regulatory submissions;
– performed independent reviews of regulatory proposals (i.e. capex, opex, demand etc.)
– provided economic and commercial analysis of options;
– developed and implemented successful customer engagement strategies; and
– worked within and advised government on major policy reform initiatives.
Highlighted Experience
Tim has led advice to a number of regulators regarding the establishment of best practice price regulation frameworks, including the Victorian PREMO framework, the new South Wales 3Cs framework, the Australian Energy Regulator’s Consumer Challenge Panel and Value of Customer Reliability and a review of future regulatory reform opportunities across South-East Queensland.
Tim has provided leading regulatory advice for the last 20 years to utilities across Australia in the lodgement of their pricing submissions, including for Sydney Water, Melbourne Water, Seqwater, South East Water, WaterNSW, Yarra Valley Water, SA Water, Hunter Water, Sunwater, Goulburn Murray Water, Greater Western Water, (the former) Ergon Energy, United Energy, Barwon Water, Goulburn Valley Water, ATCO Gas Australia, Gippsland Water, Barwon Water, TasWater, Coliban Water and Central Highlands Water.
Tim has led teams that have completed independent expenditure/demand reviews for economic regulators (i.e. the Essential Services Commission (Victoria), the Queensland Competition Authority, the Office of the Tasmanian Economic Regulator) and completed reviews/developed forecast for regulated utilities (e.g. Melbourne Water, South East Water, Yarra Valley Water, Seqwater, SA Water, Goulburn Murray Water, Gippsland Water, Coliban Water) prior to lodging their submissions for regulatory review.
Tim has led a number of reviews into different services (Power and Water Corporation), including water (Barwon Water), wastewater (Townsville City Council), trade waste (TasWater), developer charges (VicWater) and irrigation services (Goulburn Murray Water).
Tim has led the design and/or review of regulatory pricing models, including for Sunwater, Yarra Valley Water, Barwon Water, Essential Energy, ATCO Gas Australia, East Gippsland Water, Westernport Water, Townsville City Council, Goulburn Valley Water and Goulburn Murray Water.
Tim has led a number of reviews of options for optimising asset use or driving better commercial outcomes, including for Melbourne Water, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, the Department of Treasury and Finance, (the former) City West Water, South East Water and Yarra Valley Water.
Tim has led advice to Governments with regards to the appropriate structure for the provision of water services, including the role of private sector service provision.
Tim has advised asset owners (buyers) during the sale (purchase) of publicly owned monopoly assets through the provision of regulatory due diligence advice (e.g. the sale of Transgrid in NSW).