Blackouts from lack of funding

Sydney is being plunged into darkness, suburb by suburb, as 
faulty substations blow up, showering debris up to 50 metres away 
and blacking out homes. Electricians blame Energy Australia's 
"penny pinching" for the "shocking" state of the network, and say 
dangerous incidents have already struck Paddington, St Peters, 
Chatswood and Milperra. They warn of an Auckland-style crisis 
unless maintenance is stepped up.

Energy Australia has been accused of hiding behind media spin and 
ill-informed platitudes instead of addressing the real problems 
facing Sydney's electricity network.

The Electrical Trades Union (ETU) has placed a ban on working 
"live" at the affected substations until the problems are fixed.

Affected suburbs where substandard substations are in operation 
includes Chatswood, Mosman, Lane Cove, Manly, Beacon Hill, North 
Head, Lindfield, Pymble, Turramurra, Cronulla, Leichhardt, Mason 
Park, Drummoyne and Randwick.

Some substations have had tarpaulins placed over equipment to 
protect it from the elements.

One of these tarpaulins gave out at Crows Nest on Ash Wednesday 
this year, throwing North Sydney into gridlock as traffic lights 
failed and hundreds of homes and businesses were left without 
power. Energy Australia employees had notified management of the 
leak at the Crows Nest substation over two years prior to the 
incident.

Sydney CBD was thrown into darkness last September when Energy 
Australia gave the city a "spring gift" blackout courtesy of what 
the ETU has labelled as a "hugely overburdened electricity 
network".

"Members know the Central Business district is overloaded", said 
ETU Organiser Steve Butler. "The triple banked system cannot 
handle the strain that is being placed on it. The system was gold 
plated for the '70s and '80s but was allowed to deteriorate due 
to economic rationalism.

"When bean counters are in charge of an electricity network then 
the beans these bastards count become more important than 
employees or customers."