A REDLAND City councillor has raised concerns over what he claims is a “shocking double charge” by Energex for delivering reticulated power to residents on Russell Island.
Councillor Shane Rendalls (Division 5) said the issue stems from a 1995 agreement between Council and Energex, then known as the South East Queensland Electricity Corporation, to provide electricity at no cost to residents.
“On December 22, 1995, Council entered into an agreement to pay Energex $7,816,000 to deliver reticulated power to properties on Russell Island with a current building approval and that were not in drainage problem areas (this covers nearly, if not all, existing residential lots),” Cr Rendalls said.
“This was to be at no cost to Council or residents and covered the period up to December 31, 2050.”
Despite the longstanding agreement, Cr Rendalls claimed Energex had recently been demanding residents pay a so-called “planning or assessment” fee to connect to reticulated power.
“Energex have been forcing residents to pay this to have reticulated power installed that is accessible to their property,” he said.
“Even more bizarrely, this has escalated to Energex demanding residents have insurance in place to cover the potential damage to poles.
“These poles are owned by Energex and installed by Energex and are located on Council-owned and maintained footpaths.”
Cr Rendalls described the charges as unfair given that Council had already paid Energex for the service.
“Some have argued that the planning or assessment fee is an issue between the resident applying for the power connection and Energex, not a Council issue,” he said.
“I am aware of many instances of residents trying to negotiate with Energex, all to no avail.
“However, I believe it is a contract issue between Council and Energex.
“We paid ratepayer money to Energex for the future delivery of reticulated power supply, an amount that was based on a forecast number of residential lots in 1995.”
Council legal officers have reportedly been negotiating with Energex, and Cr Rendalls claimed some fees are being waived on a case-by-case basis.
“At my instigation, Council legal officers have been negotiating with Energex and Energex is waiving these fees on a case-by-case basis at the request of residents. This is not good enough,” he said.
Cr Rendalls has also involved State Member for Redlands Rebecca Young in advocating for residents.
“This matters to all Redlands residents because it is your money that Energex took for the delivery of services it is now refusing to provide,” he said.
Residents who have been charged are encouraged to email copies of invoices or receipts to Councillor Rendalls at [email protected], so they can be added to claims being pursued.
“To be clear, what we are talking about are the poles that run power down the street, not the smaller private poles installed on private property,” Cr Rendalls said.
An Energex spokesman said project assessment fees for certain new connections were introduced under the national regulatory framework 2025/2030 set by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER), which Energex is legally required to comply with.
“These charges do not apply to homeowners on the island connecting to the existing network,” he said.
“Energex continues to liaise with Redland City Council about these changes.”
