Latest news with #RosannaNatoli
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Nat Barr takes aim at huge electric vehicle lie that has been fed to Aussies as she calls for a major change
Nat Barr has called for a crackdown on false advertising after it was revealed several electric vehicle brands had misled motorists about the driving range of their cars. The Australian Automobile Association (AAA) tested five EVs in its Real-World Testing Program and found some models drove up to 111km less on the road than they did in laboratory testing. The 2023 BYD Atto 3 was the worst performer, with a driving range of 369km on a single charge — 23 per cent less than the 480km recorded in its lab testing. The 2024 Tesla Model 3 had a real-world range of 441km, which was 14 per cent less than the 513km it achieved in the lab. The 2022 Kia EV6 and the 2024 Tesla Model Y both had driving ranges of eight per cent shorter than their lab tests. The best performer was the 2024 Smart #3, which logged a real-world driving range of 432km, which was five per cent below its compulsory lab test. Barr asked Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli on Thursday morning if companies should be forced to be more forthright about their cars' ability in the real world. 'Just looking at the reasons why you get less than advertised on the battery,' Barr said. 'Hot weather can change it, cold weather can change it, driving on different terrain can change it, stopping and starting can change it, braking can change it. 'A lot can change the amount you get from the standardised testing. Basically, everything can change it. 'Do you think they should maybe change what they advertise?' Natoli said the lack of accuracy about the range of EVs was concerning for regional owners and that 'range anxiety is a real thing'. 'I guess, for the moment, it is a wait and see with that, particularly when you get outside of the cities, it's a real danger,' she said. The AAA found last month that 60 per cent of likely EV buyers flagged range and recharging as the main reasons that might prevent them from buying an EV. 'As more EVs enter our market, our testing will help consumers understand which new market entrants measure up on battery range,' AAA managing director Michael Bradley said. The AAA said Aussies deserved to know how vehicles performed on roads. The Real-World Testing Program has tested 114 fuel-powered cars, vans, and utes since it began in 2023, finding that more than 77 per cent exceeded fuel consumption recorded in lab tests. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries found that EV sales have stalled, remaining below eight per cent of new vehicle sales in 2025. It's the Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles that have exploded, with sales up 183 per cent in the past 12 months.
ABC News
11-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Sunshine Coast Council's $30 million depreciation error causes $20m budget deficit
A Queensland council has revealed five years of financial errors that could leave a $20 million hole in its next budget. The Sunshine Coast Council said it uncovered the financial errors in its own internal reporting. The errors, calculating the depreciation of council assets, amounted to about $30 million and could increase rates. Consequently, the council's 2025-'26 budget announcement has been pushed back by two weeks. The revised meeting date is now July 7. Sunshine Coast Council chief executive officer John Baker said that while external audits by the Queensland Audit Office found no issues, internal reports presented to the council did not fully reflect the long-term cost of asset ownership and renewal. "The new chief financial officer and I are leading the review with a focus on ensuring the 2025-'26 budget is built on clear, accurate and reliable financial data," he said. He said the council was putting "robust financial controls" and "reporting mechanisms in place" to prevent this from happening again. Mayor Rosanna Natoli said independent and internal reviews were being conducted. "Together we agreed that the right course of action was to bring in external consultants to conduct a thorough and independent review. "We also agreed that to ensure the accuracy of our financial data we needed to delay the budget and be transparent with our community and the media." Ms Natoli declined to say who was responsible for the mistake. "This review is not about blame. It's about strengthening our systems and making sure this doesn't happen again," she said. "We are committed to transparency. Once the review is complete we will share the outcomes with our community. "As we finalise the 2025-'26 budget we are focused on financial stability and delivering the services that matter most to our residents. "We, as a council, are working hard to minimise any impact on rates." Stan Gallo, a forensic investigator for business and councils at BDO Australia, has extensive experience working with councils but could not talk directly to the Sunshine Coast Council matter. He said generally councils managed a wide range of assets such as roads, parks, buildings, drainage, and community facilities, each with different life-spans, maintenance needs, and valuation methods. Mr Gallo said this makes calculating depreciation and accurately forecasting future asset-related expenses more complex than for a business. "Depreciation is a book entry, so an initial human error may go unnoticed over a period of time if the underlying internal financials are not properly scrutinised and the underlying figures are simply accepted and thereby included in generated reports," he said. Mr Gallo said it was a positive step to identify and publicly report it. "They now need to follow through in appropriately responding to it which should include understanding exactly what happened, how it happened, identifying any underlying issues, and determining what — if any — control failures allowed it to happen," Mr Gallo said. He said for a council to maintain credibility, and its reputation, a detailed external and independent forensic financial review should be undertaken by professionals prepared to ask difficult questions to drive "good governance". Logan City Council Mayor Jon Raven said depreciation was crippling for councils. "At this rate we could be in deficit by the end of the financial year," Cr Raven said. "$1 million [deficit] might sound like a lot of money, but for a council with a billion-dollar budget it's like a family on a combined $100,000 income only having $100 in the bank at the end of the week. "We didn't end up here because of budget blowouts or project overruns. It's because the cost of things that council buys the most — power, insurance, construction materials and services — has been soaring. "[It has been] going up by as much as 25 per cent." The Logan City Council 2025-'26 budget will be adopted on June 25. "The biggest hit to our bottom line has been depreciation which was $14 million over the forecast budget of $137.5 million for 2024-'25," Mr Raven said. "Depreciation is crippling local governments. "We don't benefit from it like businesses do. Councils must adhere to an accounting standard that's not fit for purpose. "ABS figures show that local government spends significantly more on maintaining depreciating assets than other levels of government. "We're doing everything we can to find savings and reduce waste, but ultimately rates will need to go up to pay for depreciation."
