❓ A parliamentary question regarding the exclusion of private power pole maintenance from Western Power's bushfire readiness checklist. The Minister defends the campaign's effectiveness and explains the targeted communication strategy.
AnsweredQoN 33Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
''ARE YOU BUSHFIRE READY?'' CAMPAIGN —
CHECKLIST
33. Mr
W.J. JOHNSTON to the Minister for Energy:
Given that Western Power funded the $999 788 ''Are You
Bushfire Ready?'' campaign over the summer and introduced a checklist
for householders —
(1) Can the
minister explain why the checklist for householders had no reference to the
checking and maintenance of private power poles?
(2) Did the
minister approve the checklist for householders, which did not contain any
mention of private power poles?
(3) Did the
board or senior executives of Western Power approve the checklist for
householders, which did not contain any mention of private power poles?
CHECKLIST
33. Mr
W.J. JOHNSTON to the Minister for Energy:
Given that Western Power funded the $999 788 ''Are You
Bushfire Ready?'' campaign over the summer and introduced a checklist
for householders —
(1) Can the
minister explain why the checklist for householders had no reference to the
checking and maintenance of private power poles?
(2) Did the
minister approve the checklist for householders, which did not contain any
mention of private power poles?
(3) Did the
board or senior executives of Western Power approve the checklist for
householders, which did not contain any mention of private power poles?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question.
Western Power's ''Are You Bushfire Ready?''
campaign, which we have spent almost $1 million on, was an absolutely excellent
campaign. It was timely and effective and has been proven to be very, very
useful.
Ms M.M. Quirk : It
is still being evaluated.
Dr M.D. NAHAN : The
member for Girrawheen of all members here should be supportive of it. I thought
it was in her portfolio area.
(1)–(3)
As to the questions asked by the member, the checklist included a range of
issues. It did not include what to do with private power poles. It was not
totally inclusive of all the issues that need to be dealt with to be ready for
a bushfire. I might add that the year before there was a fire related to a
private power pole in Chidlow, and Horizon Power and Western Power sent a
brochure out indicating to all the known private power pole owners what their
responsibilities for those were. The brochure had a detailed checklist
indicating their responsibilities and how they could react to it. Western Power
targeted its communication rationally. It did not include the private power
pole responsibilities in this checklist because that was primarily designed for
a whole range of people, not only private power pole owners.
As to what the board of Western
Power decides, as I have indicated before, Western Power is an independent
authority. Its discussions are for the board. It reports to me and gives me a
summary of its discussions, but I do not get involved or have a spy on the
board, so I do not know what it discusses in detail.
To go back to the ''Are You
Bushfire Ready?'' campaign, it was an excellent program. It was
perceptive, in advance, and dealt with important issues. The power pole issue
was dealt with the year before and everyone we identified who had private poles
was communicated with.
Western Power's ''Are You Bushfire Ready?''
campaign, which we have spent almost $1 million on, was an absolutely excellent
campaign. It was timely and effective and has been proven to be very, very
useful.
Ms M.M. Quirk : It
is still being evaluated.
Dr M.D. NAHAN : The
member for Girrawheen of all members here should be supportive of it. I thought
it was in her portfolio area.
(1)–(3)
As to the questions asked by the member, the checklist included a range of
issues. It did not include what to do with private power poles. It was not
totally inclusive of all the issues that need to be dealt with to be ready for
a bushfire. I might add that the year before there was a fire related to a
private power pole in Chidlow, and Horizon Power and Western Power sent a
brochure out indicating to all the known private power pole owners what their
responsibilities for those were. The brochure had a detailed checklist
indicating their responsibilities and how they could react to it. Western Power
targeted its communication rationally. It did not include the private power
pole responsibilities in this checklist because that was primarily designed for
a whole range of people, not only private power pole owners.
As to what the board of Western
Power decides, as I have indicated before, Western Power is an independent
authority. Its discussions are for the board. It reports to me and gives me a
summary of its discussions, but I do not get involved or have a spy on the
board, so I do not know what it discusses in detail.
To go back to the ''Are You
Bushfire Ready?'' campaign, it was an excellent program. It was
perceptive, in advance, and dealt with important issues. The power pole issue
was dealt with the year before and everyone we identified who had private poles
was communicated with.
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