Prue Bentley

5 days ago | abc.net.au | Angus Verley |Annie Brown |Prue Bentley

Farmers running out of feed and water for their stock are being forced to sell animals in huge numbers as drought conditions roll on in southern Australia. Some farmers have been handfeeding livestock and trucking in water for the past 18 months. But they are reaching a breaking point, where the cost and logistics are too much — so they are selling their stock. Brie Lewis farms near Cavendish, in the foothills of the Grampians, in western Victoria.

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Eden Hynninen |Prue Bentley |Jane Nield

A Victorian property investor says real estate agents are "culpable" in the state's housing crisis and has called for their tactics to be scrutinised. This week, the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV) proposed property tax reforms to the government to help alleviate land tax pressures on rental providers offering long-term leases. Land taxes have been on the rise and some real estate agents claim landlords are looking for ways to make up the $2,000 bill from their tenants.

Dec 5, 2024 | abc.net.au | Laura Mayers |Eden Hynninen |Prue Bentley |Stephen Martin

Thieves have made off with more than 400 metres of copper wiring from the Bacchus Marsh Recreation Reserve. Authorities say copper thefts are on the rise, with offenders targeting public infrastructure. The five sporting clubs that use the recreation reserve could be without power for months, relying on generators as the damage is repaired. To Scott Williams's ire, freezers filled with now-off snags must be dumped, after the Bacchus Marsh Recreation Reserve's power went off.

Nov 21, 2024 | abc.net.au | Prue Bentley |Eden Hynninen

You can learn to do a lot on YouTube, but the rise of dangerous homemade batteries has been described as a "ticking timebomb" by a state safety regulator. Energy Safe Victoria said it's seeing a rise in the number of homes building their own solar and battery energy storage systems (BESS), which are not being installed by a licensed electrician. A BESS is a rechargeable battery system that collects energy from sources like the electricity grid, solar power or wind energy.

Sep 26, 2024 | abc.net.au | Olivia Sanders |Daniel Miles |Laura Mayers |Prue Bentley

The international conglomerate behind plans for the largest seismic testing survey in Australian history has abandoned the endeavour with a three-line email. Energy data company TGS and Norwegian oilfield services company SLB (formerly known as Schlumberger), have spent more than 15 months putting together a plan to explore the Otway Basin, in south-west Victoria, for gas.