Latest news with #Energex
ABC News
11-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Brisbane council fails to keep hundreds of thousands of trees in good condition raising risk of damage to property
Brisbane's council failed to keep hundreds of thousands of its trees in good condition, raising the risk of damage to property or infrastructure, an internal review shows. The council review, obtained exclusively by the ABC, divulged the number of good-condition trees on streets had slunk far below government targets and almost 20,000 trees had been in poor shape. "Healthier trees reduce risk (e.g. from limb failure, insurance claims)," the review said. It said council inspections might also have underestimated how many streetside trees were truly in poor condition. Bureaucrats also described extreme pressure on tree maintenance budgets. "Any further reduction in funding will likely translate to an increase in risk," they wrote. The council's Asset Management Plan was completed in May last year. It was obtained in an ABC right to information request into high-level vegetation-management assessments in the two years before Cyclone Alfred smashed the state's south-east. The cyclone's winds and heavy rain triggered almost $1 billion in insurance claims and cut power across 450,000 Queensland homes and business. Council declined an interview request but in a statement rejected that problems with trees exacerbated cyclone damage. "Brisbane coped extremely well in the challenging and unique circumstances." Foliage crashing into powerlines is a common cause of electricity outages — Energex linked 42 per cent of blackouts in Cyclone Alfred to vegetation. Energex's parent company Energy Queensland must remove vegetation posing an immediate threat to the electricity network. It has maps coloured red for clearance zones around powerlines, dictating at least two metres' space between foliage and bare wires. It also must risk-assess potentially unstable branches above powerlines. For areas outside its immediate cutting zones, Energex consults with private landowners or councils. Falling branches during Cyclone Alfred damaged suburbs such as Brisbane's Chapel Hill. Resident Tamami Kawasaki said a branch had plummeted on a powerline and praised Energex's response. "They quickly turned up and they tried to solve the problem," she said. Still, she pointed to branches of other nearby trees that were a concern. Also in Chapel Hill, Paul Erbacher's home lost electricity for almost six days when a big tree fell across the road several houses down and into a powerline. That was outside the immediate danger zone for Energex's program. But Mr Erbacher pointed to a roadside tree near his home where the branches were "hitting the line". He said he had spoken to both Energex and council about it. Both organisations had cut lower branches, but some higher heavy branches remained, he said. "It could cause a problem," he told the ABC. Energex said it removed about 10,000 at-risk trees annually and cleared areas around powerlines, including in Chapel Hill. "We also have to strike a balance between network reliability and community concerns around tree removal," Energex added. Energex documents obtained by the ABC said vegetation clearance work around powerlines was at 98 per cent of its target in its southern district urban areas, incorporating heavily hit parts of the Gold Coast and southern Brisbane. Only 76 per cent of work had been completed in rural areas. Energex linked shortfalls to earlier heavy rainfalls and warmer weather increasing plant growth rates, and making work conditions dangerous in tough areas such as mountains. It added field staff believed vegetation from outside designated cutting zones was a major outage factor, with cyclonic winds tossing foliage "hundreds of metres". "Additionally … you have old growth gums more than 40 metres tall falling from well outside the trimming profile corridor, from people's front yards and public land, and bringing down powerlines," an Energex spokesperson said. There is an historical precedent to poorly handled vegetation programs worsening damage: a 2004 state inquiry found energy supplier Energex cutting back on vegetation work amplified blackouts. Brisbane council alone has an estimated 575,000 trees on urban streets, and its own review flags an inherent risk of a council-overseen trees damaging property. Of the 411,000 street trees council assessed, the review's experts grouped together 74 per cent of them in the lowest three of five categories: dead (0 per cent), poor (5 per cent) or fair (69 per cent). A tree in poor or dead condition is generally "removed" and the definition of "fair" condition includes less than one-third of the tree being dead. The review warned the number of "fair" trees imposed a "maintenance burden and an increase in risk if these trees were allowed to deteriorate". The "desired condition" would place the "majority" of trees in the top two categories, good and excellent, it said. But only 26 per cent of trees met these top two categories, despite the "desired" level being 58 per cent in February 2024. The report stated improving tree conditions would "protect residents, staff". Tree assessments occurred between 2016 and 2023, but the review flagged "historic audits may have under-represented trees in poor condition". Only one-fifth of park trees in the 22,575 checks were assessed as being in good condition, but the sample examined was too small to be statistically significant. Most were in the "fair" category; 8 per cent were "poor". In 10,988 "road-landscaping" areas, which can include median strips, 35 per cent of vegetation was in the top two categories, which was better than the targeted level of 25 per cent. Council redacted details of associated public liability claims in the RTI documents, but noted tree roots caused many claims. The review warned tree maintenance programs were "first to be cut as budgets were tightened and extreme weather events trigger increased reactive maintenance". Maintenance budgets were $38.4 million in the 2023 financial year, lifted to $43.9 million in 2024 and slimmed in the current year to $42.5 million, it said. Another problem it highlighted were financial black holes: new items were not being costed or projects including the airport arterial road, Kingsford Smith Drive, were "handed over with no maintenance budget" after an upgrade. Council's public relations team referred the ABC to a "trimming budget" — a measure not used in council's review. Council spent $20.1 million on trimming in 2021, increasing to $25.8 million in 2024, it said. Council's spokesperson said 95 per cent of Brisbane's 750,000 trees were in category three, "fair", or better condition. The public relations team has lumped category three with the top two categories, despite the review experts doing the opposite. Council refused to answer many questions by the ABC and argued some of the review data was dated. An ABC review found Energex slashed annual plant-clearing budgets by tens of millions of dollars in the past 10 years. That comes after a government review in 2004 — following storm outages of more than 120,000 customers — finding damage could "have been avoided with adequate expenditure on vegetation management". In 2005, Energex allocated $35 million to vegetation management; rising to $79.2 million as of 2012, the last year amounts were publicised. Accounting for inflation, if 2012 expenditure levels were maintained, the 2024 vegetation budget should have been $108 million. But the actual spend that year was $46.2 million, Energex said. Energex maintained expenditure cutbacks were justified because money was more efficiently spent on contractors, problem trees had been earlier removed and powerline protections improved. Other councils in Cyclone Alfred's path generally backed their vegetation management programs. The Gold Coast also did not answer some queries, but maintained it had proactively inspected 19,000 trees following a wild 2023 Christmas storm, identifying 600 for removal. Redlands and Moreton councils said high-risk tree management or vegetation programs were running on track. "Mitigating the risk of any tree within the local government area falling on powerlines would, in theory, require the removal of all trees with the potential to impact the network. This would eliminate the many environmental, social, and economic benefits provided by our urban forest," Moreton council said. Logan council, though, said earlier storms in December 2023 had "set our tree maintenance program back by over 12 months" and was reviewing policies.
Sydney Morning Herald
26-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Brisbane news live: SEQ electricity prices to rise by up to 3.7 per cent
Go to latest SEQ electricity prices to rise by up to 3.7 per cent By Households will be hit with higher power bills from July 1 after the market regulator handed down its latest round of annual price setting. Price caps will rise for customers by between 0.5 per cent and 3.7 per cent in south-east Queensland, under a determination from the Australian Energy Regulator. South-east Queensland provider Energex is in the middle of the pack when it comes to annual bills. Loading The price spikes have been driven by higher costs in the electricity grid over the past year, which in turn were due to breakdowns at coal-fired power plants, elevated fossil fuel prices and rising costs for network infrastructure. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is doubling down on his ambitious renewable energy plans, declaring it the cheapest new source of power, while the federal Coalition brawls over emissions targets and its commitment to build nuclear energy instead of wind and solar farms. Queensland's LNP government has put renewable energy projects under closer scrutiny, recently approving two wind farms but blocking another. Latest posts 7.22am Queensland Heritage Council responds to LNP's Olympic override By Sean Parnell The Queensland Heritage Council has urged the Crisafulli government to tread carefully in its plans for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Loading The government has moved to override heritage and other planning restrictions to deliver Games venues, including in Victoria Park where the environment department recently recommended a heritage listing be expanded. In a submission to a parliamentary committee inquiry into the planned override, Queensland Heritage Council chair Stuart Lummis urged the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority engage experts. 'Delivering a world-class legacy from the Games does not have to occur through diminished heritage outcomes,' Lummis wrote. 'There are numerous examples in Queensland and elsewhere of large-scale development that has respectfully retained and integrated heritage places through design excellence and sensitive adaptation, while conserving their significance. 7.15am SEQ electricity prices to rise by up to 3.7 per cent By Mike Foley Households will be hit with higher power bills from July 1 after the market regulator handed down its latest round of annual price setting. Price caps will rise for customers by between 0.5 per cent and 3.7 per cent in south-east Queensland, under a determination from the Australian Energy Regulator. South-east Queensland provider Energex is in the middle of the pack when it comes to annual bills. Loading The price spikes have been driven by higher costs in the electricity grid over the past year, which in turn were due to breakdowns at coal-fired power plants, elevated fossil fuel prices and rising costs for network infrastructure. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is doubling down on his ambitious renewable energy plans, declaring it the cheapest new source of power, while the federal Coalition brawls over emissions targets and its commitment to build nuclear energy instead of wind and solar farms. Queensland's LNP government has put renewable energy projects under closer scrutiny, recently approving two wind farms but blocking another. 7.07am The weather this week In what feels like unseasonal weather, the mercury is expected to reach almost 30 degrees in Brisbane today, on a cloudy Tuesday. From tomorrow, however, temperatures for the rest of the week will plunge back down into more typical late-Autumn territory. Here's a look at today's weather, and the seven days to come. 7.04am While you were sleeping Here's what's making news further afield this morning: Health Minister Mark Butler wants significant attention paid to discovering why the rate of informal votes has almost tripled in hospitals and aged care centres as it potentially affects the results of closely contested electorates. Australian oil and gas giant Woodside Energy has pointed to crippling blackouts that left millions without electricity across Europe last month as a 'forceful reminder' for the Albanese government to prioritise energy security alongside goals to switch to cleaner sources of power. Donald Trump has inflicted deep damage to three of the unique sources of American superpower, writes Peter Hartcher. 'And he's on the very brink of shattering a fourth.' A car has ploughed into a crowd of Liverpool fans during a parade celebrating their side's Premier League soccer title, and police arrested a 53-year-old British man. They were just play fighting. That was French President Emmanuel Macron's explanation for video images that showed his wife, Brigitte, pushing her husband away with both hands on his face before they disembarked from their plane. American surfer Griffin Colapinto has described a ride which included a spectacular aerial and earned a perfect 10 score at Margaret River as one of the 'most incredible moments of my life'. 6.31am The top stories this morning Good morning, and welcome to Brisbane Times' live news coverage for Tuesday, May 27. Today we can expect a partly cloudy day and a top temperature of 29 degrees. In this morning's local headlines: The Morningside School of Arts building has been brought back from the brink of ruin, but its trustees say it needs a large injection of funds if it's to survive past its 100th birthday in 2026. A Queensland-born businessman has been identified as the Australian accused of accepting a 1.7 kilogram haul of cocaine in Bali for a promised reward of just $4700.
The Age
26-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
Brisbane news live: SEQ electricity prices to rise by up to 3.7 per cent
Go to latest SEQ electricity prices to rise by up to 3.7 per cent By Households will be hit with higher power bills from July 1 after the market regulator handed down its latest round of annual price setting. Price caps will rise for customers by between 0.5 per cent and 3.7 per cent in south-east Queensland, under a determination from the Australian Energy Regulator. South-east Queensland provider Energex is in the middle of the pack when it comes to annual bills. Loading The price spikes have been driven by higher costs in the electricity grid over the past year, which in turn were due to breakdowns at coal-fired power plants, elevated fossil fuel prices and rising costs for network infrastructure. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is doubling down on his ambitious renewable energy plans, declaring it the cheapest new source of power, while the federal Coalition brawls over emissions targets and its commitment to build nuclear energy instead of wind and solar farms. Queensland's LNP government has put renewable energy projects under closer scrutiny, recently approving two wind farms but blocking another. Latest posts 7.22am Queensland Heritage Council responds to LNP's Olympic override By Sean Parnell The Queensland Heritage Council has urged the Crisafulli government to tread carefully in its plans for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Loading The government has moved to override heritage and other planning restrictions to deliver Games venues, including in Victoria Park where the environment department recently recommended a heritage listing be expanded. In a submission to a parliamentary committee inquiry into the planned override, Queensland Heritage Council chair Stuart Lummis urged the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority engage experts. 'Delivering a world-class legacy from the Games does not have to occur through diminished heritage outcomes,' Lummis wrote. 'There are numerous examples in Queensland and elsewhere of large-scale development that has respectfully retained and integrated heritage places through design excellence and sensitive adaptation, while conserving their significance. 7.15am SEQ electricity prices to rise by up to 3.7 per cent By Mike Foley Households will be hit with higher power bills from July 1 after the market regulator handed down its latest round of annual price setting. Price caps will rise for customers by between 0.5 per cent and 3.7 per cent in south-east Queensland, under a determination from the Australian Energy Regulator. South-east Queensland provider Energex is in the middle of the pack when it comes to annual bills. Loading The price spikes have been driven by higher costs in the electricity grid over the past year, which in turn were due to breakdowns at coal-fired power plants, elevated fossil fuel prices and rising costs for network infrastructure. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is doubling down on his ambitious renewable energy plans, declaring it the cheapest new source of power, while the federal Coalition brawls over emissions targets and its commitment to build nuclear energy instead of wind and solar farms. Queensland's LNP government has put renewable energy projects under closer scrutiny, recently approving two wind farms but blocking another. 7.07am The weather this week In what feels like unseasonal weather, the mercury is expected to reach almost 30 degrees in Brisbane today, on a cloudy Tuesday. From tomorrow, however, temperatures for the rest of the week will plunge back down into more typical late-Autumn territory. Here's a look at today's weather, and the seven days to come. 7.04am While you were sleeping Here's what's making news further afield this morning: Health Minister Mark Butler wants significant attention paid to discovering why the rate of informal votes has almost tripled in hospitals and aged care centres as it potentially affects the results of closely contested electorates. Australian oil and gas giant Woodside Energy has pointed to crippling blackouts that left millions without electricity across Europe last month as a 'forceful reminder' for the Albanese government to prioritise energy security alongside goals to switch to cleaner sources of power. Donald Trump has inflicted deep damage to three of the unique sources of American superpower, writes Peter Hartcher. 'And he's on the very brink of shattering a fourth.' A car has ploughed into a crowd of Liverpool fans during a parade celebrating their side's Premier League soccer title, and police arrested a 53-year-old British man. They were just play fighting. That was French President Emmanuel Macron's explanation for video images that showed his wife, Brigitte, pushing her husband away with both hands on his face before they disembarked from their plane. American surfer Griffin Colapinto has described a ride which included a spectacular aerial and earned a perfect 10 score at Margaret River as one of the 'most incredible moments of my life'. 6.31am The top stories this morning Good morning, and welcome to Brisbane Times' live news coverage for Tuesday, May 27. Today we can expect a partly cloudy day and a top temperature of 29 degrees. In this morning's local headlines: The Morningside School of Arts building has been brought back from the brink of ruin, but its trustees say it needs a large injection of funds if it's to survive past its 100th birthday in 2026. A Queensland-born businessman has been identified as the Australian accused of accepting a 1.7 kilogram haul of cocaine in Bali for a promised reward of just $4700.
The Age
30-04-2025
- Business
- The Age
Brisbane news live: Regulator approves higher electricity charges in Queensland
Latest posts Regulator approves higher electricity charges in Queensland Homes and businesses across Queensland will pay more in their electricity bills to maintain and upgrade power lines after the state's network operators were cleared to raise the maximum revenue they can recoup from consumers. The Australian Energy Regulator on Wednesday signed off on a 47 per cent increase in the revenue that south-east Queensland's network operator, Energex, can charge between 2025-30 due to higher inflation adding to the cost of delivering reliable and secure power supplies. Loading Ergon Energy, spanning north, central and the rest of southern Queensland, will be able to recoup revenues 42 per cent higher than the previous five-year period. For Queensland households, the increases would add about $48 a year to a typical power bill, the regulator said. The state's small business customers, meanwhile, would pay an extra $97 a year on average. Australian Energy Regulator chair Clare Savage said the final decisions sought to strike a balance between affordability and the investment needed to meet the long-term needs of consumers. 'Cost-of-living pressures and affordability concerns continue to be front of mind for households and small businesses,' she said. 'We have rigorously scrutinised both Energex and Ergon Energy's proposed expenditures to ensure consumers pay no more than necessary for a safe and reliable power supply, while enabling businesses to address important emerging issues such as network cybersecurity, mitigating the risks of the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and integration of consumer energy resources.' 7.20am A sunny day to start May This might be the last of the sunny days for Brisbane this week, with showers on the horizon and the city predicted to be fairly wet at the weekend. But for today, a clear day is forecast, with a cool top of 25 degrees. Here's a breakdown, with what to expect in the days ahead. While you were sleeping Here's what's making news further afield this morning: Peter Dutton has led 'one of the worst election campaigns in living memory', political commentator Niki Savva writes today. 'If complacency wasn't responsible, it had to be stubbornness or incompetence. Maybe a combination of the three. Dutton lacked the desire, the strength, the confidence and the judgment to forge a path back to the centre after the debacle of the 2022 election.' Accused triple killer Erin Patterson has admitted foraging for mushrooms, lying about having cancer, getting rid of a food dehydrator in panic and not telling police the truth after her elderly lunch guests fell critically ill. President Donald Trump has acknowledged that his tariffs could result in fewer and costlier products in the US, saying American kids might 'have two dolls instead of 30 dolls,' but he insisted China will suffer more from his trade war. Australian packaging magnate Anthony Pratt, whom Donald Trump once branded a 'red-haired weirdo', has pledged to invest billions of dollars in American manufacturing as he visits the US president at the White House.
Sydney Morning Herald
30-04-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Brisbane news live: Regulator approves higher electricity charges in Queensland
Latest posts Regulator approves higher electricity charges in Queensland Homes and businesses across Queensland will pay more in their electricity bills to maintain and upgrade power lines after the state's network operators were cleared to raise the maximum revenue they can recoup from consumers. The Australian Energy Regulator on Wednesday signed off on a 47 per cent increase in the revenue that south-east Queensland's network operator, Energex, can charge between 2025-30 due to higher inflation adding to the cost of delivering reliable and secure power supplies. Loading Ergon Energy, spanning north, central and the rest of southern Queensland, will be able to recoup revenues 42 per cent higher than the previous five-year period. For Queensland households, the increases would add about $48 a year to a typical power bill, the regulator said. The state's small business customers, meanwhile, would pay an extra $97 a year on average. Australian Energy Regulator chair Clare Savage said the final decisions sought to strike a balance between affordability and the investment needed to meet the long-term needs of consumers. 'Cost-of-living pressures and affordability concerns continue to be front of mind for households and small businesses,' she said. 'We have rigorously scrutinised both Energex and Ergon Energy's proposed expenditures to ensure consumers pay no more than necessary for a safe and reliable power supply, while enabling businesses to address important emerging issues such as network cybersecurity, mitigating the risks of the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and integration of consumer energy resources.' 7.20am A sunny day to start May This might be the last of the sunny days for Brisbane this week, with showers on the horizon and the city predicted to be fairly wet at the weekend. But for today, a clear day is forecast, with a cool top of 25 degrees. Here's a breakdown, with what to expect in the days ahead. While you were sleeping Here's what's making news further afield this morning: Peter Dutton has led 'one of the worst election campaigns in living memory', political commentator Niki Savva writes today. 'If complacency wasn't responsible, it had to be stubbornness or incompetence. Maybe a combination of the three. Dutton lacked the desire, the strength, the confidence and the judgment to forge a path back to the centre after the debacle of the 2022 election.' Accused triple killer Erin Patterson has admitted foraging for mushrooms, lying about having cancer, getting rid of a food dehydrator in panic and not telling police the truth after her elderly lunch guests fell critically ill. President Donald Trump has acknowledged that his tariffs could result in fewer and costlier products in the US, saying American kids might 'have two dolls instead of 30 dolls,' but he insisted China will suffer more from his trade war. Australian packaging magnate Anthony Pratt, whom Donald Trump once branded a 'red-haired weirdo', has pledged to invest billions of dollars in American manufacturing as he visits the US president at the White House.
