A group of clean-up volunteers say they pulled an estimated 20kg of stripped copper wiring from beneath blackberry bushes at a Tasmanian picnic ground – a stark snapshot of a crime problem now inflating costs for households, developers and taxpayers.
Hundreds of empty plastic cable sheaths were found by community group Litter Free Launnie at St Leonard’s Picnic Ground in Launceston, suggesting copper was removed from homes and businesses and likely later sold.
Now industry leaders warn the financial fallout is being built into every job.
According to the National Electrical and Communications Association, contractors are lifting quotes to cover the likelihood of theft, with insurance premiums too steep to make claims viable.
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Volunteers were exhausted after collecting bags of copper wiring from a Launceston park. Source: Litter Free Launnie/Facebook
Around 20kg of stripped copper wiring were found under blackberry bushes. Source: Litter Free Launnie/Facebook
NECA’s Tasmanian executive director, Ben Shaw, said losses have become routine, pointing to one member who lost about $600,000 to cable theft at worksites in 2025.
“What we’re finding now is that contractors and subcontractors are actually increasing their pricing to cover the cost of potential theft,” Shaw told Yahoo News.
“They’ll factor into their quote that their cable is more than likely going to be knocked off, and they’ll have to cover it because insurance premiums are too high to actually claim.”
Many businesses are now also paying for private security or installing cameras in a bid to deter offenders.
The costs don’t stop at the gate
Replacing stolen cable slows projects from single homes and apartment blocks to major government builds, compounding delays and budget blowouts.
“When it comes to government projects, it’s taxpayer money that’s being stolen by copper thieves,” Shaw said.
“We always hear about cost blowouts, and everyone says, stupid government, but a big part of the problem is theft and vandalism.”
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A volunteer with bags of stripped copper wiring. Source: Litter Free Launnie/Facebook
On the ground in Launceston, Litter Free Launnie spokesperson Karen Waldon told Yahoo News that the volume of material shocked volunteers.
“It was ‘bigger than Ben Hur’, it was absolutely everywhere,” she said.
“We couldn’t get it all, but it was just awful.”
Property renovators squeezed by soaring on-site crime
Vacant renovation sites have also become soft targets for thieves and vandals, with one seasoned investor now budgeting for break-ins on every job.
Over the past year, property investor Charles Corby says several of his renovation sites have been hit, with copper a sought-after item among thieves.
“In the past six months alone, I’ve experienced three break-ins. It’s now something I have to account for in every single reno project’s budget,” he said.
Vacant renovation sites are prime targets for opportunistic thieves and vandals. They are often empty, filled with valuable tools and materials, and typically unoccupied overnight.
A former Detective Leading Senior Constable with 18 years’ experience at Victoria Police, who asked not to be named, said offenders often grab “everything and anything of value”. Ovens, stove tops, dishwashers, airconditioning units and hot water systems are commonly taken.
But copper wiring and pipes remain prime targets because of their scrap value.
While ferrous scrap, such as mixed steel, fetches around $300 to $600 per tonne, non-ferrous metals are where the real money lies.
Copper cable, for instance, can command between $5000 and an eye-watering $17,000 per tonne, while aluminium is valued at approximately $1500 to $3500 per tonne.
“Vacant renovation sites are an easy target because they’re often empty, full of tools or materials, and no one sleeps there at night. That combination attracts opportunistic thieves and vandals,” Corby said.
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