Tara Donnelly

Tara Donnelly is Canstar Blue’s Utilities Editor, leading the team that focuses on energy, telecommunications and consumer technology. She has spent more than a decade covering these topics in Australia, the US and Canada, and has authored over 500 Canstar Blue articles. Her expertise has seen her appear in national media including 9 News, 7 News, Sunrise, the ABC , The Australian Financial Review, 4BC Radio and The Sydney Morning Herald. Tara has been nominated for multiple awards for her technology reporting, including Canstar Blue’s highly commended recognition for Best Consumer Technology Coverage in 2024. She has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Canberra and is passionate about simplifying complex subjects so consumers aren’t just informed, they’re connected and confident. You can read more of Tara's published articles and follow Tara on LinkedIn.




Happy couple using laptop with fast internet at home

Free NBN speed upgrades coming in September

Posted by August 1st 2025

Lucky households will receive a massive NBN speed boost beginning September, with some plans set to be five times faster for no extra cost. But these free speed upgrades won’t be available to all NBN …


EPL football. How to watch football and soccer in Australia

Optus Sport shut down: How to watch the EPL in Australia

Posted by July 28th 2025

Attention football fans: if you can't bear to miss a second of Premier League action, you now have just days to make the jump from Optus Sport to Stan. Optus' go-to platform for soccer streaming is …


Washing machine running costs

Washing machine running costs

Posted by July 31st 2025

How much does it cost to do a load of washing? Canstar Blue looks at what your washing machine adds to your energy bills.


Solar farms in Australia

Large scale solar farms in Australia

Posted by July 31st 2025

What’s a solar farm and how does it power your home? Learn more and see a list of solar farms in Australia at Canstar Blue.


A happy young couple looking at a laptop

Average NBN speed: What is the typical evening speed?

Posted by July 22nd 2025

KEY POINTS Typical evening speeds indicate the expected speeds your NBN plan can achieve during the busy evening peak of 7pm to 11pm. These evening speeds can differ from the maximum possible speed listed for …



Electric fire place

Winter heating costs explained

Posted by July 31st 2025

What are the winter heating costs of running a heater in winter? Canstar Blue looks at winter heating costs, including electric, gas and oil heaters.