Our Organisation

Southern Rural Water (SRW) was formed on 1 July, 1995 when the Rural Water Corporation was dissolved. We are a water corporation owned by the State Government. Southern Rural Water is governed by a Board of Directors, who are appointed by the Minister for Water.

Our business – a quick overview

We have approximately 160 staff based in offices across the state from Hamilton to Bairnsdale.

Southern Rural Water:

Operates irrigation districts at Maffra, Bacchus Marsh and Werribee
Manages seven major dams
Licenses groundwater users and river diverters across the southern half of Victoria

We supply water to support agricultural production, electricity generation, country towns and cities, and rural and urban businesses.

Our revenue is about $28 million per year and we have assets valued at around $1.23 billion. We have over 10,000 customers.

Senior staff

Cameron FitzGerald

Managing Director

Cameron has two decades of professional experience with 14 of these years in the water sector. Having successfully delivered high profile transformative programs across the sector, Cameron is committed to driving outstanding outcomes for Southern Rural Water’s customers and local communities. Cameron has worked at EPA Victoria, KPMG, City West Water and Melbourne Water and holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) with Honours from the University of Melbourne. He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Lincoln Eddy

Manager Strategy and Performance

Lincoln joined Southern Rural Water in 1997 as a Project Accountant and has held numerous positions. He was appointed Manager People and Performance in late 2009 and most recently as Manager Strategy and Performance in 2014. He previously worked in the education sector and has experience running his own business. He has a Bachelor of Business.

Jo Giannini

Manager People and Culture

Jo joined Southern Rural Water in 2017 having held senior human resources positions in the community services and disability sectors. She brings a strong background in organisational development and employee relations. She holds a Bachelor of Business (Human Resources).

Nicole Griffin

General Manager Technical and Environmental Services

Nicole joined Southern Rural Water in May 2018 having spent five years at Gippsland Water as General Manager Assets and Commercial Business and before that General Manager Business Development.

Before joining the water industry, Nicole spent a number of years in the Biotechnology sector working for Monsanto both in Australia and the Asia Pacific region. She has worked in the cotton industry for a number of years and understands the important role that irrigation plays in the health of regional economies.

Nicole has a Bachelors Degree in Agricultural Science and Graduate Diploma Environmental Management. Nicole is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is currently completing an Executive MBA.

Craig Parker

General Manager Customer Service

Since coming into the water industry in 2000, Craig has worked from field officer to executive levels across all of our regions. Craig has also acted as CEO at the East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, adding a new perspective to his management of water resources. As General Manager Customer Service, Craig is committed to better customer outcomes in all parts of the business. This includes making water trading more accessible, making transactions such as renewals cheaper and easier, and customers accessing their own data to help run their business. In addition, Craig is accountable for ensuring our modernised assets lead to increased service opportunities for customers. Craig is a member of the AICD and has business qualifications from Mt Eliza Business School and UQ.

Bernadine Phelan

Communications and Engagement Manager

Bernadine joined SRW in January 2017, bringing more than 30 years’ experience in journalism, communications, engagement and corporate development. She started her career in Australia and held senior leadership roles for a global media group in the UK for 19 years. Since returning to Gippsland, Bernadine has worked across Australia as an integrated media consultant, including for the water, natural resources and education sectors and a Traditional Owners/State Government joint project.

Isabel Frederick

Chief Information Officer

Isabel has wide ranging experience in Technology and Business, having held senior positions in both fields, both locally and internationally before joining SRW in June 2019. Her career in Business/Technology has seen her deliver excellence in Consulting to Senior Management and Boards, in several major Australian corporates, as well as senior Line Management roles across all areas of large Business/IT Divisions.

She has led both traditional and emerging transformation Programs, most recently Lean Organisation Transformation and has held COO, CTO and CFO roles. Highly motivated, with a strong business and customer focus, she has succeeded in Defence (Logistics), Finance and Banking, Insurance, Superannuation, Healthcare, and Telecommunications.

Stuart Wrigglesworth

Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary

Having grown up on a family farm supplied from the Macalister system, Stuart joined Southern Rural Water as Finance Manager in late 2005 and was appointed Chief Financial Officer in March 2011. He has 6 years’ experience working in professional practice for PriceWaterhouse Coopers in Melbourne and South Africa, as well as over 5 years in the UK working in Finance and Accounting roles for a number of commercial and public sector businesses. Stuart holds a Bachelor of Commerce and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.