Don’t let Aurora hang “it” but let someone else bury”it” Mr Bartlett

Tony Royce

(Open letter to the Premier of Tasmania)

Sir,

The appointing of Aurora Energy to carry out the cabling network for the high speed broadband network in Tasmania, I believe, is a bad decision. I give my reasons as follows:

DON’T LET AURORA HANG “IT” BUT LET SOMEONE ELSE BURY “IT” MR BARTLETT

(Open letter to the Premier of Tasmania)

Sir,

the appointing of Aurora Energy to carry out the cabling network for the high speed broadband network in Tasmania, I believe, is a bad decision. I give my reasons as follows:

Not only do I and many others see Aurora as a bad corporate citizen but increasingly I see them as incompetent. Every time there is a wind/rain storm here in Perth we suffer blackouts, there were two in the same morning a few days ago. However, it seems that they just accept that as normal.Across the road from the retirement village where I live there are two trees which are in very close proximity to power lines feeding the village and local homes. Parts of the trees have already broken off and branches continue to break off from time to time.Not so long ago another tree from this line of dying trees crashed and narrowly missed a passing motorist. The particular trees shown in the attached photograph “are doing an extremely good job of impersonating dead trees, they are not really dead” . . . because Aurora have said so!

I am an aged pensioner struggling to survive on a grossly inadequate Government pension. I currently have a complaint against Aurora because they are charging me rental on a meter I do not use, cannot use and have never used but despite bragging about acting upon customer feedback Aurora simply churn out standard responses which I find increasingly frustrating. For example they repeatedly and enthusiastically encourage me to contact the Ombudsman’s office despite knowing full well that I already have done so.From my investigations through talking with other people it seems Aurora Energy have a bad track record and indeed cannot be seen as a good corporate citizen and politicians of all persuasions have advised me that they get a continuing flood of complaints from consumers about Aurora.

Now there is yet further concern:

When Optus introduced their broadband into Sydney some years ago they simply strung up their cables on the power poles but well below theexisting power lines by necessity. Any tree that had branches in the way were simply hacked off and mutilated without any regard for the balance or indeed the life of the tree and other complications arising from the entanglement of cables in the trees. Unbelievable eyesores were created and it was total desecration of the environment as the photographs below will testify. Additional weight and tensions were of course added to the power poles increasing further the already dangerous threat that exists with these wholly ugly power lines criss-crossing the streets of the Sydney suburbs. Overhead cables and power lines in residential streets are a completely outdated and dangerous system and really have no place in a modern inhabited environment. Governments should learn from the mistakes of others. If all of these cables are put underground the initial cost is understandably greater but the long termfinancial costs will be greatly reduced and the “lights” will stay on in inclement weather. Threats and risks to motorists and residents life will be virtually eliminated if power lines and other cables are all underground. Surely, NOW IS THE TIME TO BURY “IT” !

Thus there is a much greater concern about this wholly owned State Government company because the Federal Government in their “wisdom” have apparently enlisted Aurora to do the cabling for the proposed high speed broadband network in Tasmania. Aurora can’t recognise a dead tree when they see one and equally can’t realise the potential hazard it presents. Aurora can’t keep the “lights” on everytime the weather is inclement and coupled to this Aurora have a shocking record of customer dissatisfaction. Aurora show a complete disregard for their customers and their entrenched corporate belligerent attitude will not change because having no competition there is no incentive to do so. I am deeply concerned about how much control Aurora will have over the new broadband network as I consider this organisation to be unfit for the job in terms of incompetence and unfit in terms of their stupidity and their inability to maintain good customer relations through greed and exploitation.

I submit that the broadband cabling network contract should go out to tender. With the rotten relationship that Aurora have with consumers everywhere coupled with the continued breakdown in energy supply it is concerning me that they have been given the contract to install the cabling for the proposed high speed broadband. This suggests that we will be even further disadvantaged by what I see as a greedy monopolistic organisation who cannot even recognise a dead tree when they see one. It should also be seen by the electorate as another negative against this State Government.

Tony Royce

PS. Telstra already have the trenches dug! Whose trenches will you use in the town of Ross where there are no power poles?