Adelaide City Council considers seeking legal advice on losses suffered during statewide blackout
ADELAIDE City Council will consider seeking legal advice as it prepares a report on the financial losses sustained during last week’s statewide power blackout.
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ADELAIDE City Council will consider seeking legal advice as it prepares a report on the financial losses sustained during last week’s statewide power blackout.
The council lost an estimated $60,000 in income from its UPark car parks in the city when SA lost power last Wednesday and last night resolved to seek further information on other storm
losses to the council caused by the blackout and legal and insurance advice.
“City businesses and households alike were essentially left to the mercy of our power grid,” Cr Alex Antic, who moved the motion, told the meeting.
“It is completely unacceptable that an event or occurrence like this can knock out the electricity supply of an entire state and its capital city for this long,” Cr Antic said.
“It is clear that the City of Adelaide did sustain financial losses during the event and the clearly the question is — how much and who pays?”
Councillor Phil Martin agreed.
“There is a substantial argument that we have a vulnerable system that there is a problem and as a result there may be culpability.”
Lord Mayor Martin Haese described the decision to seek legal advice as “aggressive”.
“I think for this, council members, to go out and straight off the bat seek legal advice is an aggressive move,” he said.
“If we had 68 local government areas around South Australia in their council chambers this evening having this debate about seeking legal advice in regards to seeking compensation — I don’t think it sends a very positive message about any sensitivity in South Australia at all,” he said.
“I would like to see this quantified by administration to get a sense of what the economic loss was and then we can reserve our right to make a decision about where to from then.
“I think for us to go straight to legal advice on this matter is an inappropriate thing to do.”
Cr Anne Moran disagreed, saying the council deserved answers and to know why Adelaide’s northern suburbs had power restored before the city did.
“Elizabeth West, Elizabeth and Craigmore were on a long time before we were — so obviously keeping the city lit and powered is no longer a priority or a possibility in this new set up,” she said.
“I think ... we suffered a reputational damage from that and we need to know what the cost is.”
She said for too-long the council had been fearful of putting the government off-side and it was time to get “aggressive”.
“We’re not mentioning going to court, we’re not mentioning taking out litigation, we’re not mentioning that all we’re just finding out what our legal situation in regards to losses is,” she said.
“If that seems aggressive — good — it’s time this council got a bit aggressive.
“This government has treated this council with derision and rudeness and scorn and we deserve it because we’ve gone with our tail between our legs and our hat in hand time after time and now ... this is for our ratepayers and our city — we weren’t treated well during this, we weren’t first cab off the rank getting our power back and we incurred damages.”