29 October 2024
As further details continue to emerge about the circumstances in the lead up to the catastrophic power outage in Broken Hill, the Greens are calling for a public inquiry into the actions taken by the network operators and other related parties that allowed this situation to occur.
Quotes attributable to Greens NSW Energy Spokesperson, Abigail Boyd:
"When you have such a colossal failure of asset management and disaster preparedness laid at the feet of the state's only 100% privatised transmission network operator, it's hard not to put two and two together and conclude that our current arrangement has set our state up to fail.
"The simple fact is that the private owners of our power networks have put NSW local communities at risk through their continued and prolonged mismanagement of the grid to bolster their profit margins.
"I am hearing of reports of network infrastructure practically disintegrating before workers' eyes and key maintenance work being neglected, while other business opportunities were being explored and advanced by the company.
"Transgrid made over $1.12 billion in revenue in the last financial year, and their profitability is through the roof. The ranks of executives continue to explode, alongside their pay packets, while apprentice numbers are practically nonexistent. All the while, the real wages of their workers have declined by 10.3% since they were privatised in 2015. Yet despite their clear profitability, they have evidently failed to uphold their obligations to provide a safe and secure energy network.
"The Greens are calling for a public parliamentary inquiry to shine a light on the circumstances of this colossal failure before another town is left in the dark."