Our Organisation
Southern Rural Water (SRW) was formed on 1 July, 1995 when the former Rural Water Corporation was dissolved. Water businesses had previously operated as the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission.
We are a water corporation, operating under the Victorian Government’s Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. Southern Rural Water is governed by a Board of Directors, who are appointed by the Minister for Water.
Our business – a quick overview
Southern Rural Water is responsible for managing irrigation districts, the regulation of surface water and groundwater licensing, and storage dams across the southern third of Victoria.
Our service area covers 88,000 square kilometres, or 37 per cent of Victoria, stretching from the South Australian border to the New South Wales border, and from the Great Dividing Range to the Victorian coast.
We deliver the water for essential food and fibre production, rural and urban businesses, electricity generation, and the raw water for treatment for urban water corporations to supply towns and cities.
We have more than 168 staff and manage assets worth $1.4b.
Within this wide geographic area, we provide high-quality services to more than 12,000 customers through managing:
- three regulated irrigation districts: Macalister, Bacchus Marsh and Werribee
- seven major dams and eight diversion weirs
- Victoria’s largest groundwater operations
- the second largest non-metropolitan headworks business
- take and use licenses from waterways; and
- licences relating to catchment dams and farm dam registrations.
Executive team
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
Isabel Frederick
General Manager Customers and Technology
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.
Jo Giannini
General Manager People, Safety 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
Scott Cornish
Scott joined SRW, from Western Water, with a personal commitment to the sustainable growth and well-being of local communities.
Elisa Hunter
General Manager Strategy and Performance
Elisa joined Southern Rural Water in April 2020, having held senior leadership roles in both the public and private sector. With over two decades in the water industry, she has worked in a wide range of roles across the whole asset lifecycle bring a unique perspective to strategy development, community engagement and water resource planning. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Environmental Engineering.
Hugh Christie
General Manager Service Delivery
Hugh was appointed General Manager Service Delivery in May 2021, after joining Southern Rural Water in April 2019 as Manager Groundwater and Rivers. After growing up on the family farm in South West Victoria, he has had a wide range of experiences from a career of over 20 years in the rural and environmental water industries across South East Australia and Tasmania, including the management of regulated and unregulated resources, system optimisation, large capital projects and the management of diverse assets, as well as a history of engaging customers and stakeholders for improved outcomes. Hugh holds a Bachelor Degree in Environmental Engineering.
Stuart Wrigglesworth
Chief Financial Officer
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
