Full Version - Essential Energy

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Multi-skilling
Country Energy’s people have specialised skills and
experience developed over 60 years in managing
regional networks. Our field employees in particular
are multi-skilled, which has proved a highly efficient
and practical way of constructing and maintaining a
geographically dispersed network.
Multi-skilled employees often prevent the need to call
on specialist teams who may be several hours away
from a worksite. While our success can be partly
attributed to our unique, decentralised structure, some
highly specialised technical functions, such as zone
substation and sub-transmission powerline design
and construction, as well as overall asset maintenance
strategies and policies are more centralised.
This ensures state-of-the-art capabilities in areas
where technological improvement is a constant.
Price and equity
In July 2004, we introduced a regulated retail price
change for all electricity customers. In July 2004
and May 2005, retail price changes were introduced
for regulated gas customers in the Wagga, Wagga,
Uranquinty Cooma, Bombala, Tumut and Gundagai
regions. All changes were within specific limits set
by the New South Wales pricing watchdog, the
Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART).
These changes were the first under IPART
determinations, effective from July 2004, which allowed
for modest network price increases over five years and
regulated retail electricity prices over three years.
We also continued a program to introduce a uniform
price list for all new connections. This is part of a longterm
plan to consolidate ‘inherited’ prices, ensuring an
equitable pricing structure for all.
Security
Significant work was undertaken this year to enhance
our business continuity management capability,
including the development of detailed business
continuity plans to ensure the ongoing viability of
critical processes. Our corporate crisis management
and recovery program was also tested and refined in
simulation, to ensure all employees involved in a crisis
recovery are trained and prepared to respond.
Our peak security group continued to develop and
review security management plans for our most
critical assets, including zone substations and major
transmission and distribution powerlines, as well as
overseeing progress towards certification against
Australian Standard 7799 – Information Security
Management.
Improved information protection and security practices
have been implemented to ensure security incidents,
such as computer virus attacks and fraudulent access to
systems, are contained to a minimal level. The team’s
vigilance and advanced systems helped to respond
successfully to a number of potentially significant
attacks on our systems that affected other corporations
worldwide, preventing downtime and information
losses.
A new security manual was added to our policy library,
aimed at preventing security issues – from access to
work sites and protecting valuables to armed robberies,
threatening phone calls and suspicious mail packages.
A guide is also being developed to help employees
understand their personal rights and responsibilities.
Both documents are part of an overall campaign to
increase security awareness.
Future goals – full certification of corporate data
systems against Australian Standard 7799, ongoing
review and refinement of business continuity planning
response capability, and development of an improved
emergency response framework.
Taking the world stage
Country Energy received international accolades when
we were the only Australian company to win an award
at the 2004 Utility Award – taking home the Utility
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Award for
Australia and the Asia Pacific. The award related to
our integrated Customer Information System (CIS)
and CRM areas and specifically, the successful
deployment of new CIS billing software known as
Energy. The awards were contested by utilities from
virtually every corner of the globe – from gas and water
companies to municipal utilities and other energy
companies.
Our CIS is the backbone of our business and ongoing
upgrades and enhancements are vital to our future
success. Energy enables end-to-end customer
management in one system, ensuring better levels
of customer service.
A second award was presented to our General Manager
Information Services, Patrick Cooper, who was named
Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Year (for small to
medium businesses) at the third annual IT & T Awards.
He was one of three individuals recognised this year for
being “a driving force for the adoption and execution of
best-practice technology”.
COUNTRY ENERGY ANNUAL REPORT 2004–2005