❓ Opposition questions the state of Western Power, citing 'chaos'. The Minister emphatically denies this, highlighting the utility's response to recent severe storms and widespread power outages, praising the workers' dedication and efficiency in restoring power to hundreds of thousands of homes.
AnsweredQoN 405Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
WESTERN
POWER
405. Hon LIZ BEHJAT to the Minister for Energy:
Does the minister agree with the comments of the shadow
Minister for Energy that Western Power is in chaos?
POWER
405. Hon LIZ BEHJAT to the Minister for Energy:
Does the minister agree with the comments of the shadow
Minister for Energy that Western Power is in chaos?
AnswerView source ↗
That is a difficult one. Absolutely not. In fact, I refute it
emphatically.
Hon Kate Doust : You need to wake up, sunshine.
Hon PETER COLLIER : I think there might be a conflict
of interest in that interjection.
Several members
interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order! Let us forget about
conflicts of interest and get to the answer.
Hon PETER COLLIER : The comments made by the shadow
Minister for Energy were that Western Power is in chaos at a time when
thousands of Western Power linesmen were on the streets for three or four days
in a row ensuring that hundreds of thousands of homes that were without power
had power restored in a prompt and efficient manner.
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order! That is the problem. If I
allow one interjection, I get 17 others. It is much better if we do without
any.
Hon PETER COLLIER : As all members would remember, last
week we had one of the most extensive and serious storms in Western Australia's
history. It had more of an impact on the Western Power network than ever before
in the history of Western Australia in terms of the damage it created for the
Western Power network. As all members would know because I have said this
enough times, we have one of the largest isolated above-ground networks in the
world. That was open, very vulnerable and very susceptible to the storms that
we had last week, last Sunday and then another storm on the Monday and Tuesday.
Of course there is going to be damage. There was widespread damage across the
length and breadth of the south west interconnected system. True to form,
Western Power showed how efficient and dedicated it was to the cause by
ensuring that power was returned to all Western Australian homes that were
blacked out as quickly as possible. I am proud of Western Power, I am proud of
those linesmen, and I am proud of those workers who ensured that that occurred.
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order! This is question time, not
anything else. We get a question and then we listen to the answer without
interjections or outrageous comments across the chamber.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Thank you, Mr President. I think we
need a few valium around here!
The PRESIDENT : Order! Minister, you are required
to answer in concise and relevant terms. The first part of that answer was
irrelevant.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Thank you, Mr President.
At the peak of this storm, 170 000 homes and businesses were
without power in Western Australia.
Hon Sally Talbot interjected.
Hon PETER COLLIER : The President said no more
interjections.
The PRESIDENT : Order! I will adjudicate on that.
We will not have any more interjections.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Thank you, Mr President. I appreciate
your ruling.
In total, over a seven-day period, Western Power restored
electricity to 250 000 customers. That is nearly a quarter of the entire
network. These outages extended from Geraldton in the north across to
Kalgoorlie and south east to Ravensthorpe. Within 12 hours of the storm
hitting, Western Power restored power to 45 000 customers while addressing a
high number of hazardous situations and ensuring community safety as a
priority. Working throughout the night, after 24 hours, 63 000 had their power
restored. After 48 hours, 156 000 customers had their electricity back on.
Western Power emergency crews attended more than 3 439 safety hazards. These
included fallen lines, live wires and other dangerous situations. By Tuesday
evening, Western Power crews had restored power to 90 per cent of those
affected. By Sunday's storm, they were preparing for another long night's
work after the second front approached. After the second front, another 17 000
homes were without power. By Thursday afternoon, just 2 500 homes were without
power, only about 330 of which had been without power since the Sunday. All
customers affected by the storms have now had their power returned. Over the
entire period, the Western Power customer contact centre received more than 260
000 calls. Over 2 500 staff were directly involved in ensuring that power was
restored.
Point of Order
Hon
KEN TRAVERS : The
question was about whether or not the minister agreed with the shadow Minister
for Energy's comments that Western Power was in chaos. The minister has
only ever referred to the chaos of the administration at the senior levels and
the minister's administration, not the workforce that is doing the
great work that he is now talking about. This is a nonsense abuse of question
time and it is not relevant to the question.
The PRESIDENT : Order! That is not a point of
order; it is a point of view. We know that in this place you do not have to
like an answer and you do not have to agree to it but you do have to hear it in
silence. The Minister for Energy is going to wrap up his answer very quickly.
Debate Resumed
Hon PETER COLLIER : I am, Mr President. In conclusion,
I do not think that Western Power is in chaos. I would like to thank most
sincerely all of those Western Power workers who worked constantly day in and
day out last week to ensure that the network was up and running and operational
and that power was restored to the hundreds of thousands of people in
particular throughout Western Australia who were blacked out as a result of the
storm. I would like to thank the technicians, the linesmen, the administrators
and the management most sincerely for a job well done.
emphatically.
Hon Kate Doust : You need to wake up, sunshine.
Hon PETER COLLIER : I think there might be a conflict
of interest in that interjection.
Several members
interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order! Let us forget about
conflicts of interest and get to the answer.
Hon PETER COLLIER : The comments made by the shadow
Minister for Energy were that Western Power is in chaos at a time when
thousands of Western Power linesmen were on the streets for three or four days
in a row ensuring that hundreds of thousands of homes that were without power
had power restored in a prompt and efficient manner.
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order! That is the problem. If I
allow one interjection, I get 17 others. It is much better if we do without
any.
Hon PETER COLLIER : As all members would remember, last
week we had one of the most extensive and serious storms in Western Australia's
history. It had more of an impact on the Western Power network than ever before
in the history of Western Australia in terms of the damage it created for the
Western Power network. As all members would know because I have said this
enough times, we have one of the largest isolated above-ground networks in the
world. That was open, very vulnerable and very susceptible to the storms that
we had last week, last Sunday and then another storm on the Monday and Tuesday.
Of course there is going to be damage. There was widespread damage across the
length and breadth of the south west interconnected system. True to form,
Western Power showed how efficient and dedicated it was to the cause by
ensuring that power was returned to all Western Australian homes that were
blacked out as quickly as possible. I am proud of Western Power, I am proud of
those linesmen, and I am proud of those workers who ensured that that occurred.
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order! This is question time, not
anything else. We get a question and then we listen to the answer without
interjections or outrageous comments across the chamber.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Thank you, Mr President. I think we
need a few valium around here!
The PRESIDENT : Order! Minister, you are required
to answer in concise and relevant terms. The first part of that answer was
irrelevant.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Thank you, Mr President.
At the peak of this storm, 170 000 homes and businesses were
without power in Western Australia.
Hon Sally Talbot interjected.
Hon PETER COLLIER : The President said no more
interjections.
The PRESIDENT : Order! I will adjudicate on that.
We will not have any more interjections.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Thank you, Mr President. I appreciate
your ruling.
In total, over a seven-day period, Western Power restored
electricity to 250 000 customers. That is nearly a quarter of the entire
network. These outages extended from Geraldton in the north across to
Kalgoorlie and south east to Ravensthorpe. Within 12 hours of the storm
hitting, Western Power restored power to 45 000 customers while addressing a
high number of hazardous situations and ensuring community safety as a
priority. Working throughout the night, after 24 hours, 63 000 had their power
restored. After 48 hours, 156 000 customers had their electricity back on.
Western Power emergency crews attended more than 3 439 safety hazards. These
included fallen lines, live wires and other dangerous situations. By Tuesday
evening, Western Power crews had restored power to 90 per cent of those
affected. By Sunday's storm, they were preparing for another long night's
work after the second front approached. After the second front, another 17 000
homes were without power. By Thursday afternoon, just 2 500 homes were without
power, only about 330 of which had been without power since the Sunday. All
customers affected by the storms have now had their power returned. Over the
entire period, the Western Power customer contact centre received more than 260
000 calls. Over 2 500 staff were directly involved in ensuring that power was
restored.
Point of Order
Hon
KEN TRAVERS : The
question was about whether or not the minister agreed with the shadow Minister
for Energy's comments that Western Power was in chaos. The minister has
only ever referred to the chaos of the administration at the senior levels and
the minister's administration, not the workforce that is doing the
great work that he is now talking about. This is a nonsense abuse of question
time and it is not relevant to the question.
The PRESIDENT : Order! That is not a point of
order; it is a point of view. We know that in this place you do not have to
like an answer and you do not have to agree to it but you do have to hear it in
silence. The Minister for Energy is going to wrap up his answer very quickly.
Debate Resumed
Hon PETER COLLIER : I am, Mr President. In conclusion,
I do not think that Western Power is in chaos. I would like to thank most
sincerely all of those Western Power workers who worked constantly day in and
day out last week to ensure that the network was up and running and operational
and that power was restored to the hundreds of thousands of people in
particular throughout Western Australia who were blacked out as a result of the
storm. I would like to thank the technicians, the linesmen, the administrators
and the management most sincerely for a job well done.
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