❓ Hon. Kate Doust questions the Minister for Energy regarding Western Power's code of conduct contraventions and delayed notification. The Minister expresses his dissatisfaction and outlines steps taken to improve Western Power's customer service and communication.
AnsweredQoN 459Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
WESTERN POWER — SUPPLY OF ELECTRICITY — CODE OF CONDUCT CONTRAVENTIONS
I refer to the Economic Regulation Authority’s notification to Western Power on Tuesday of this week regarding contraventions of the code of conduct for the supply of electricity to small-use customers. (1) Given that Western Power did not advise the minister of the breaches until Tuesday, even though it had been aware of this notification for six weeks, what steps will the minister take to immediately ensure that Western Power delivers the required level of customer service to ensure that no Western Australian lives are put at risk? (2) What measures will Western Power take to correct current practices to ensure life-support customers are appropriately managed? Hon PETER COLLIER
I refer to the Economic Regulation Authority’s notification to Western Power on Tuesday of this week regarding contraventions of the code of conduct for the supply of electricity to small-use customers. (1) Given that Western Power did not advise the minister of the breaches until Tuesday, even though it had been aware of this notification for six weeks, what steps will the minister take to immediately ensure that Western Power delivers the required level of customer service to ensure that no Western Australian lives are put at risk? (2) What measures will Western Power take to correct current practices to ensure life-support customers are appropriately managed? Hon PETER COLLIER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for the question. (1)–(2) I was not happy; I genuinely was not happy with this. I did not like being informed six weeks after the event. Hon Kate Doust : I picked that up in your comments to the media. Hon PETER COLLIER : Cheers! Yes, I was not happy. About 18 months ago there was a change in the board of Western Power—a significant shift in the chairman of the board and also the board members. I met with the board and I met with the executive management of Western Power. I said to them that Western Power’s customer service needed to improve. I felt that there was a bit of a disconnect, quite frankly, with Western Power and the community at large. It was a very frank, open and worthwhile discussion. I felt that in a lot of instances perhaps customer service issues were not being listened to. They were very receptive to those comments, and they gave me every guarantee that things would improve. In addition to that, I said that safety within the network was a pivotal priority not just of the government, but also for me personally, and they responded very well. Until about six months ago we had a dedicated officer in my office dealing specifically with Western Power complaints. That is because we had so many of them, and we had a number of comments from backbenchers and other members of Parliament also. To the credit of those people at Western Power, they did respond particularly well. I feel that Western Power’s customer service has improved significantly. I feel that Western Power is starting to listen now, literally, to its customers and is actually responding a lot quicker. Western Power can always improve, and it is very conscious of that. But I have been very happy with the response I have received from the board, from the managing director and also from the executive of Western Power. Therefore, when I found out about the disconnections issue the day before yesterday, I was not happy; I really was not. I will be writing to the chairman of the board to express my disquiet with regard to not only the fact that perhaps they dropped the ball in this instance, and I think they acknowledge that, but also the fact that they did not inform me prior to the release of the ERA report. I have a very good, harmonious relationship with the management of Western Power now, and with the board, and I am sure that they will literally take on board my concerns and rectify the situation to ensure that it does not happen again. But, in addition, the communication between my office and Western Power has improved dramatically.
(1) Given that Western Power did not advise the minister of the breaches until Tuesday, even though it had been aware of this notification for six weeks, what steps will the minister take to immediately ensure that Western Power delivers the required level of customer service to ensure that no Western Australian lives are put at risk? (2) What measures will Western Power take to correct current practices to ensure life-support customers are appropriately managed? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for the question. (1)–(2) I was not happy; I genuinely was not happy with this. I did not like being informed six weeks after the event. Hon Kate Doust : I picked that up in your comments to the media. Hon PETER COLLIER : Cheers! Yes, I was not happy. About 18 months ago there was a change in the board of Western Power—a significant shift in the chairman of the board and also the board members. I met with the board and I met with the executive management of Western Power. I said to them that Western Power’s customer service needed to improve. I felt that there was a bit of a disconnect, quite frankly, with Western Power and the community at large. It was a very frank, open and worthwhile discussion. I felt that in a lot of instances perhaps customer service issues were not being listened to. They were very receptive to those comments, and they gave me every guarantee that things would improve. In addition to that, I said that safety within the network was a pivotal priority not just of the government, but also for me personally, and they responded very well. Until about six months ago we had a dedicated officer in my office dealing specifically with Western Power complaints. That is because we had so many of them, and we had a number of comments from backbenchers and other members of Parliament also. To the credit of those people at Western Power, they did respond particularly well. I feel that Western Power’s customer service has improved significantly. I feel that Western Power is starting to listen now, literally, to its customers and is actually responding a lot quicker. Western Power can always improve, and it is very conscious of that. But I have been very happy with the response I have received from the board, from the managing director and also from the executive of Western Power. Therefore, when I found out about the disconnections issue the day before yesterday, I was not happy; I really was not. I will be writing to the chairman of the board to express my disquiet with regard to not only the fact that perhaps they dropped the ball in this instance, and I think they acknowledge that, but also the fact that they did not inform me prior to the release of the ERA report. I have a very good, harmonious relationship with the management of Western Power now, and with the board, and I am sure that they will literally take on board my concerns and rectify the situation to ensure that it does not happen again. But, in addition, the communication between my office and Western Power has improved dramatically.
(2) What measures will Western Power take to correct current practices to ensure life-support customers are appropriately managed? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for the question. (1)–(2) I was not happy; I genuinely was not happy with this. I did not like being informed six weeks after the event. Hon Kate Doust : I picked that up in your comments to the media. Hon PETER COLLIER : Cheers! Yes, I was not happy. About 18 months ago there was a change in the board of Western Power—a significant shift in the chairman of the board and also the board members. I met with the board and I met with the executive management of Western Power. I said to them that Western Power’s customer service needed to improve. I felt that there was a bit of a disconnect, quite frankly, with Western Power and the community at large. It was a very frank, open and worthwhile discussion. I felt that in a lot of instances perhaps customer service issues were not being listened to. They were very receptive to those comments, and they gave me every guarantee that things would improve. In addition to that, I said that safety within the network was a pivotal priority not just of the government, but also for me personally, and they responded very well. Until about six months ago we had a dedicated officer in my office dealing specifically with Western Power complaints. That is because we had so many of them, and we had a number of comments from backbenchers and other members of Parliament also. To the credit of those people at Western Power, they did respond particularly well. I feel that Western Power’s customer service has improved significantly. I feel that Western Power is starting to listen now, literally, to its customers and is actually responding a lot quicker. Western Power can always improve, and it is very conscious of that. But I have been very happy with the response I have received from the board, from the managing director and also from the executive of Western Power. Therefore, when I found out about the disconnections issue the day before yesterday, I was not happy; I really was not. I will be writing to the chairman of the board to express my disquiet with regard to not only the fact that perhaps they dropped the ball in this instance, and I think they acknowledge that, but also the fact that they did not inform me prior to the release of the ERA report. I have a very good, harmonious relationship with the management of Western Power now, and with the board, and I am sure that they will literally take on board my concerns and rectify the situation to ensure that it does not happen again. But, in addition, the communication between my office and Western Power has improved dramatically.
Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for the question. (1)–(2) I was not happy; I genuinely was not happy with this. I did not like being informed six weeks after the event. Hon Kate Doust : I picked that up in your comments to the media. Hon PETER COLLIER : Cheers! Yes, I was not happy. About 18 months ago there was a change in the board of Western Power—a significant shift in the chairman of the board and also the board members. I met with the board and I met with the executive management of Western Power. I said to them that Western Power’s customer service needed to improve. I felt that there was a bit of a disconnect, quite frankly, with Western Power and the community at large. It was a very frank, open and worthwhile discussion. I felt that in a lot of instances perhaps customer service issues were not being listened to. They were very receptive to those comments, and they gave me every guarantee that things would improve. In addition to that, I said that safety within the network was a pivotal priority not just of the government, but also for me personally, and they responded very well. Until about six months ago we had a dedicated officer in my office dealing specifically with Western Power complaints. That is because we had so many of them, and we had a number of comments from backbenchers and other members of Parliament also. To the credit of those people at Western Power, they did respond particularly well. I feel that Western Power’s customer service has improved significantly. I feel that Western Power is starting to listen now, literally, to its customers and is actually responding a lot quicker. Western Power can always improve, and it is very conscious of that. But I have been very happy with the response I have received from the board, from the managing director and also from the executive of Western Power. Therefore, when I found out about the disconnections issue the day before yesterday, I was not happy; I really was not. I will be writing to the chairman of the board to express my disquiet with regard to not only the fact that perhaps they dropped the ball in this instance, and I think they acknowledge that, but also the fact that they did not inform me prior to the release of the ERA report. I have a very good, harmonious relationship with the management of Western Power now, and with the board, and I am sure that they will literally take on board my concerns and rectify the situation to ensure that it does not happen again. But, in addition, the communication between my office and Western Power has improved dramatically.
I thank the honourable member for the question. (1)–(2) I was not happy; I genuinely was not happy with this. I did not like being informed six weeks after the event. Hon Kate Doust : I picked that up in your comments to the media. Hon PETER COLLIER : Cheers! Yes, I was not happy. About 18 months ago there was a change in the board of Western Power—a significant shift in the chairman of the board and also the board members. I met with the board and I met with the executive management of Western Power. I said to them that Western Power’s customer service needed to improve. I felt that there was a bit of a disconnect, quite frankly, with Western Power and the community at large. It was a very frank, open and worthwhile discussion. I felt that in a lot of instances perhaps customer service issues were not being listened to. They were very receptive to those comments, and they gave me every guarantee that things would improve. In addition to that, I said that safety within the network was a pivotal priority not just of the government, but also for me personally, and they responded very well. Until about six months ago we had a dedicated officer in my office dealing specifically with Western Power complaints. That is because we had so many of them, and we had a number of comments from backbenchers and other members of Parliament also. To the credit of those people at Western Power, they did respond particularly well. I feel that Western Power’s customer service has improved significantly. I feel that Western Power is starting to listen now, literally, to its customers and is actually responding a lot quicker. Western Power can always improve, and it is very conscious of that. But I have been very happy with the response I have received from the board, from the managing director and also from the executive of Western Power. Therefore, when I found out about the disconnections issue the day before yesterday, I was not happy; I really was not. I will be writing to the chairman of the board to express my disquiet with regard to not only the fact that perhaps they dropped the ball in this instance, and I think they acknowledge that, but also the fact that they did not inform me prior to the release of the ERA report. I have a very good, harmonious relationship with the management of Western Power now, and with the board, and I am sure that they will literally take on board my concerns and rectify the situation to ensure that it does not happen again. But, in addition, the communication between my office and Western Power has improved dramatically.
(1)–(2) I was not happy; I genuinely was not happy with this. I did not like being informed six weeks after the event. Hon Kate Doust : I picked that up in your comments to the media. Hon PETER COLLIER : Cheers! Yes, I was not happy. About 18 months ago there was a change in the board of Western Power—a significant shift in the chairman of the board and also the board members. I met with the board and I met with the executive management of Western Power. I said to them that Western Power’s customer service needed to improve. I felt that there was a bit of a disconnect, quite frankly, with Western Power and the community at large. It was a very frank, open and worthwhile discussion. I felt that in a lot of instances perhaps customer service issues were not being listened to. They were very receptive to those comments, and they gave me every guarantee that things would improve. In addition to that, I said that safety within the network was a pivotal priority not just of the government, but also for me personally, and they responded very well. Until about six months ago we had a dedicated officer in my office dealing specifically with Western Power complaints. That is because we had so many of them, and we had a number of comments from backbenchers and other members of Parliament also. To the credit of those people at Western Power, they did respond particularly well. I feel that Western Power’s customer service has improved significantly. I feel that Western Power is starting to listen now, literally, to its customers and is actually responding a lot quicker. Western Power can always improve, and it is very conscious of that. But I have been very happy with the response I have received from the board, from the managing director and also from the executive of Western Power. Therefore, when I found out about the disconnections issue the day before yesterday, I was not happy; I really was not. I will be writing to the chairman of the board to express my disquiet with regard to not only the fact that perhaps they dropped the ball in this instance, and I think they acknowledge that, but also the fact that they did not inform me prior to the release of the ERA report. I have a very good, harmonious relationship with the management of Western Power now, and with the board, and I am sure that they will literally take on board my concerns and rectify the situation to ensure that it does not happen again. But, in addition, the communication between my office and Western Power has improved dramatically.
Hon Kate Doust : I picked that up in your comments to the media. Hon PETER COLLIER : Cheers! Yes, I was not happy. About 18 months ago there was a change in the board of Western Power—a significant shift in the chairman of the board and also the board members. I met with the board and I met with the executive management of Western Power. I said to them that Western Power’s customer service needed to improve. I felt that there was a bit of a disconnect, quite frankly, with Western Power and the community at large. It was a very frank, open and worthwhile discussion. I felt that in a lot of instances perhaps customer service issues were not being listened to. They were very receptive to those comments, and they gave me every guarantee that things would improve. In addition to that, I said that safety within the network was a pivotal priority not just of the government, but also for me personally, and they responded very well. Until about six months ago we had a dedicated officer in my office dealing specifically with Western Power complaints. That is because we had so many of them, and we had a number of comments from backbenchers and other members of Parliament also. To the credit of those people at Western Power, they did respond particularly well. I feel that Western Power’s customer service has improved significantly. I feel that Western Power is starting to listen now, literally, to its customers and is actually responding a lot quicker. Western Power can always improve, and it is very conscious of that. But I have been very happy with the response I have received from the board, from the managing director and also from the executive of Western Power. Therefore, when I found out about the disconnections issue the day before yesterday, I was not happy; I really was not. I will be writing to the chairman of the board to express my disquiet with regard to not only the fact that perhaps they dropped the ball in this instance, and I think they acknowledge that, but also the fact that they did not inform me prior to the release of the ERA report. I have a very good, harmonious relationship with the management of Western Power now, and with the board, and I am sure that they will literally take on board my concerns and rectify the situation to ensure that it does not happen again. But, in addition, the communication between my office and Western Power has improved dramatically.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Cheers! Yes, I was not happy. About 18 months ago there was a change in the board of Western Power—a significant shift in the chairman of the board and also the board members. I met with the board and I met with the executive management of Western Power. I said to them that Western Power’s customer service needed to improve. I felt that there was a bit of a disconnect, quite frankly, with Western Power and the community at large. It was a very frank, open and worthwhile discussion. I felt that in a lot of instances perhaps customer service issues were not being listened to. They were very receptive to those comments, and they gave me every guarantee that things would improve. In addition to that, I said that safety within the network was a pivotal priority not just of the government, but also for me personally, and they responded very well. Until about six months ago we had a dedicated officer in my office dealing specifically with Western Power complaints. That is because we had so many of them, and we had a number of comments from backbenchers and other members of Parliament also. To the credit of those people at Western Power, they did respond particularly well. I feel that Western Power’s customer service has improved significantly. I feel that Western Power is starting to listen now, literally, to its customers and is actually responding a lot quicker. Western Power can always improve, and it is very conscious of that. But I have been very happy with the response I have received from the board, from the managing director and also from the executive of Western Power. Therefore, when I found out about the disconnections issue the day before yesterday, I was not happy; I really was not. I will be writing to the chairman of the board to express my disquiet with regard to not only the fact that perhaps they dropped the ball in this instance, and I think they acknowledge that, but also the fact that they did not inform me prior to the release of the ERA report. I have a very good, harmonious relationship with the management of Western Power now, and with the board, and I am sure that they will literally take on board my concerns and rectify the situation to ensure that it does not happen again. But, in addition, the communication between my office and Western Power has improved dramatically.
Until about six months ago we had a dedicated officer in my office dealing specifically with Western Power complaints. That is because we had so many of them, and we had a number of comments from backbenchers and other members of Parliament also. To the credit of those people at Western Power, they did respond particularly well. I feel that Western Power’s customer service has improved significantly. I feel that Western Power is starting to listen now, literally, to its customers and is actually responding a lot quicker. Western Power can always improve, and it is very conscious of that. But I have been very happy with the response I have received from the board, from the managing director and also from the executive of Western Power. Therefore, when I found out about the disconnections issue the day before yesterday, I was not happy; I really was not. I will be writing to the chairman of the board to express my disquiet with regard to not only the fact that perhaps they dropped the ball in this instance, and I think they acknowledge that, but also the fact that they did not inform me prior to the release of the ERA report. I have a very good, harmonious relationship with the management of Western Power now, and with the board, and I am sure that they will literally take on board my concerns and rectify the situation to ensure that it does not happen again. But, in addition, the communication between my office and Western Power has improved dramatically.
(1) Given that Western Power did not advise the minister of the breaches until Tuesday, even though it had been aware of this notification for six weeks, what steps will the minister take to immediately ensure that Western Power delivers the required level of customer service to ensure that no Western Australian lives are put at risk? (2) What measures will Western Power take to correct current practices to ensure life-support customers are appropriately managed? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for the question. (1)–(2) I was not happy; I genuinely was not happy with this. I did not like being informed six weeks after the event. Hon Kate Doust : I picked that up in your comments to the media. Hon PETER COLLIER : Cheers! Yes, I was not happy. About 18 months ago there was a change in the board of Western Power—a significant shift in the chairman of the board and also the board members. I met with the board and I met with the executive management of Western Power. I said to them that Western Power’s customer service needed to improve. I felt that there was a bit of a disconnect, quite frankly, with Western Power and the community at large. It was a very frank, open and worthwhile discussion. I felt that in a lot of instances perhaps customer service issues were not being listened to. They were very receptive to those comments, and they gave me every guarantee that things would improve. In addition to that, I said that safety within the network was a pivotal priority not just of the government, but also for me personally, and they responded very well. Until about six months ago we had a dedicated officer in my office dealing specifically with Western Power complaints. That is because we had so many of them, and we had a number of comments from backbenchers and other members of Parliament also. To the credit of those people at Western Power, they did respond particularly well. I feel that Western Power’s customer service has improved significantly. I feel that Western Power is starting to listen now, literally, to its customers and is actually responding a lot quicker. Western Power can always improve, and it is very conscious of that. But I have been very happy with the response I have received from the board, from the managing director and also from the executive of Western Power. Therefore, when I found out about the disconnections issue the day before yesterday, I was not happy; I really was not. I will be writing to the chairman of the board to express my disquiet with regard to not only the fact that perhaps they dropped the ball in this instance, and I think they acknowledge that, but also the fact that they did not inform me prior to the release of the ERA report. I have a very good, harmonious relationship with the management of Western Power now, and with the board, and I am sure that they will literally take on board my concerns and rectify the situation to ensure that it does not happen again. But, in addition, the communication between my office and Western Power has improved dramatically.
(2) What measures will Western Power take to correct current practices to ensure life-support customers are appropriately managed? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for the question. (1)–(2) I was not happy; I genuinely was not happy with this. I did not like being informed six weeks after the event. Hon Kate Doust : I picked that up in your comments to the media. Hon PETER COLLIER : Cheers! Yes, I was not happy. About 18 months ago there was a change in the board of Western Power—a significant shift in the chairman of the board and also the board members. I met with the board and I met with the executive management of Western Power. I said to them that Western Power’s customer service needed to improve. I felt that there was a bit of a disconnect, quite frankly, with Western Power and the community at large. It was a very frank, open and worthwhile discussion. I felt that in a lot of instances perhaps customer service issues were not being listened to. They were very receptive to those comments, and they gave me every guarantee that things would improve. In addition to that, I said that safety within the network was a pivotal priority not just of the government, but also for me personally, and they responded very well. Until about six months ago we had a dedicated officer in my office dealing specifically with Western Power complaints. That is because we had so many of them, and we had a number of comments from backbenchers and other members of Parliament also. To the credit of those people at Western Power, they did respond particularly well. I feel that Western Power’s customer service has improved significantly. I feel that Western Power is starting to listen now, literally, to its customers and is actually responding a lot quicker. Western Power can always improve, and it is very conscious of that. But I have been very happy with the response I have received from the board, from the managing director and also from the executive of Western Power. Therefore, when I found out about the disconnections issue the day before yesterday, I was not happy; I really was not. I will be writing to the chairman of the board to express my disquiet with regard to not only the fact that perhaps they dropped the ball in this instance, and I think they acknowledge that, but also the fact that they did not inform me prior to the release of the ERA report. I have a very good, harmonious relationship with the management of Western Power now, and with the board, and I am sure that they will literally take on board my concerns and rectify the situation to ensure that it does not happen again. But, in addition, the communication between my office and Western Power has improved dramatically.
Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for the question. (1)–(2) I was not happy; I genuinely was not happy with this. I did not like being informed six weeks after the event. Hon Kate Doust : I picked that up in your comments to the media. Hon PETER COLLIER : Cheers! Yes, I was not happy. About 18 months ago there was a change in the board of Western Power—a significant shift in the chairman of the board and also the board members. I met with the board and I met with the executive management of Western Power. I said to them that Western Power’s customer service needed to improve. I felt that there was a bit of a disconnect, quite frankly, with Western Power and the community at large. It was a very frank, open and worthwhile discussion. I felt that in a lot of instances perhaps customer service issues were not being listened to. They were very receptive to those comments, and they gave me every guarantee that things would improve. In addition to that, I said that safety within the network was a pivotal priority not just of the government, but also for me personally, and they responded very well. Until about six months ago we had a dedicated officer in my office dealing specifically with Western Power complaints. That is because we had so many of them, and we had a number of comments from backbenchers and other members of Parliament also. To the credit of those people at Western Power, they did respond particularly well. I feel that Western Power’s customer service has improved significantly. I feel that Western Power is starting to listen now, literally, to its customers and is actually responding a lot quicker. Western Power can always improve, and it is very conscious of that. But I have been very happy with the response I have received from the board, from the managing director and also from the executive of Western Power. Therefore, when I found out about the disconnections issue the day before yesterday, I was not happy; I really was not. I will be writing to the chairman of the board to express my disquiet with regard to not only the fact that perhaps they dropped the ball in this instance, and I think they acknowledge that, but also the fact that they did not inform me prior to the release of the ERA report. I have a very good, harmonious relationship with the management of Western Power now, and with the board, and I am sure that they will literally take on board my concerns and rectify the situation to ensure that it does not happen again. But, in addition, the communication between my office and Western Power has improved dramatically.
I thank the honourable member for the question. (1)–(2) I was not happy; I genuinely was not happy with this. I did not like being informed six weeks after the event. Hon Kate Doust : I picked that up in your comments to the media. Hon PETER COLLIER : Cheers! Yes, I was not happy. About 18 months ago there was a change in the board of Western Power—a significant shift in the chairman of the board and also the board members. I met with the board and I met with the executive management of Western Power. I said to them that Western Power’s customer service needed to improve. I felt that there was a bit of a disconnect, quite frankly, with Western Power and the community at large. It was a very frank, open and worthwhile discussion. I felt that in a lot of instances perhaps customer service issues were not being listened to. They were very receptive to those comments, and they gave me every guarantee that things would improve. In addition to that, I said that safety within the network was a pivotal priority not just of the government, but also for me personally, and they responded very well. Until about six months ago we had a dedicated officer in my office dealing specifically with Western Power complaints. That is because we had so many of them, and we had a number of comments from backbenchers and other members of Parliament also. To the credit of those people at Western Power, they did respond particularly well. I feel that Western Power’s customer service has improved significantly. I feel that Western Power is starting to listen now, literally, to its customers and is actually responding a lot quicker. Western Power can always improve, and it is very conscious of that. But I have been very happy with the response I have received from the board, from the managing director and also from the executive of Western Power. Therefore, when I found out about the disconnections issue the day before yesterday, I was not happy; I really was not. I will be writing to the chairman of the board to express my disquiet with regard to not only the fact that perhaps they dropped the ball in this instance, and I think they acknowledge that, but also the fact that they did not inform me prior to the release of the ERA report. I have a very good, harmonious relationship with the management of Western Power now, and with the board, and I am sure that they will literally take on board my concerns and rectify the situation to ensure that it does not happen again. But, in addition, the communication between my office and Western Power has improved dramatically.
(1)–(2) I was not happy; I genuinely was not happy with this. I did not like being informed six weeks after the event. Hon Kate Doust : I picked that up in your comments to the media. Hon PETER COLLIER : Cheers! Yes, I was not happy. About 18 months ago there was a change in the board of Western Power—a significant shift in the chairman of the board and also the board members. I met with the board and I met with the executive management of Western Power. I said to them that Western Power’s customer service needed to improve. I felt that there was a bit of a disconnect, quite frankly, with Western Power and the community at large. It was a very frank, open and worthwhile discussion. I felt that in a lot of instances perhaps customer service issues were not being listened to. They were very receptive to those comments, and they gave me every guarantee that things would improve. In addition to that, I said that safety within the network was a pivotal priority not just of the government, but also for me personally, and they responded very well. Until about six months ago we had a dedicated officer in my office dealing specifically with Western Power complaints. That is because we had so many of them, and we had a number of comments from backbenchers and other members of Parliament also. To the credit of those people at Western Power, they did respond particularly well. I feel that Western Power’s customer service has improved significantly. I feel that Western Power is starting to listen now, literally, to its customers and is actually responding a lot quicker. Western Power can always improve, and it is very conscious of that. But I have been very happy with the response I have received from the board, from the managing director and also from the executive of Western Power. Therefore, when I found out about the disconnections issue the day before yesterday, I was not happy; I really was not. I will be writing to the chairman of the board to express my disquiet with regard to not only the fact that perhaps they dropped the ball in this instance, and I think they acknowledge that, but also the fact that they did not inform me prior to the release of the ERA report. I have a very good, harmonious relationship with the management of Western Power now, and with the board, and I am sure that they will literally take on board my concerns and rectify the situation to ensure that it does not happen again. But, in addition, the communication between my office and Western Power has improved dramatically.
Hon Kate Doust : I picked that up in your comments to the media. Hon PETER COLLIER : Cheers! Yes, I was not happy. About 18 months ago there was a change in the board of Western Power—a significant shift in the chairman of the board and also the board members. I met with the board and I met with the executive management of Western Power. I said to them that Western Power’s customer service needed to improve. I felt that there was a bit of a disconnect, quite frankly, with Western Power and the community at large. It was a very frank, open and worthwhile discussion. I felt that in a lot of instances perhaps customer service issues were not being listened to. They were very receptive to those comments, and they gave me every guarantee that things would improve. In addition to that, I said that safety within the network was a pivotal priority not just of the government, but also for me personally, and they responded very well. Until about six months ago we had a dedicated officer in my office dealing specifically with Western Power complaints. That is because we had so many of them, and we had a number of comments from backbenchers and other members of Parliament also. To the credit of those people at Western Power, they did respond particularly well. I feel that Western Power’s customer service has improved significantly. I feel that Western Power is starting to listen now, literally, to its customers and is actually responding a lot quicker. Western Power can always improve, and it is very conscious of that. But I have been very happy with the response I have received from the board, from the managing director and also from the executive of Western Power. Therefore, when I found out about the disconnections issue the day before yesterday, I was not happy; I really was not. I will be writing to the chairman of the board to express my disquiet with regard to not only the fact that perhaps they dropped the ball in this instance, and I think they acknowledge that, but also the fact that they did not inform me prior to the release of the ERA report. I have a very good, harmonious relationship with the management of Western Power now, and with the board, and I am sure that they will literally take on board my concerns and rectify the situation to ensure that it does not happen again. But, in addition, the communication between my office and Western Power has improved dramatically.
Hon PETER COLLIER : Cheers! Yes, I was not happy. About 18 months ago there was a change in the board of Western Power—a significant shift in the chairman of the board and also the board members. I met with the board and I met with the executive management of Western Power. I said to them that Western Power’s customer service needed to improve. I felt that there was a bit of a disconnect, quite frankly, with Western Power and the community at large. It was a very frank, open and worthwhile discussion. I felt that in a lot of instances perhaps customer service issues were not being listened to. They were very receptive to those comments, and they gave me every guarantee that things would improve. In addition to that, I said that safety within the network was a pivotal priority not just of the government, but also for me personally, and they responded very well. Until about six months ago we had a dedicated officer in my office dealing specifically with Western Power complaints. That is because we had so many of them, and we had a number of comments from backbenchers and other members of Parliament also. To the credit of those people at Western Power, they did respond particularly well. I feel that Western Power’s customer service has improved significantly. I feel that Western Power is starting to listen now, literally, to its customers and is actually responding a lot quicker. Western Power can always improve, and it is very conscious of that. But I have been very happy with the response I have received from the board, from the managing director and also from the executive of Western Power. Therefore, when I found out about the disconnections issue the day before yesterday, I was not happy; I really was not. I will be writing to the chairman of the board to express my disquiet with regard to not only the fact that perhaps they dropped the ball in this instance, and I think they acknowledge that, but also the fact that they did not inform me prior to the release of the ERA report. I have a very good, harmonious relationship with the management of Western Power now, and with the board, and I am sure that they will literally take on board my concerns and rectify the situation to ensure that it does not happen again. But, in addition, the communication between my office and Western Power has improved dramatically.
Until about six months ago we had a dedicated officer in my office dealing specifically with Western Power complaints. That is because we had so many of them, and we had a number of comments from backbenchers and other members of Parliament also. To the credit of those people at Western Power, they did respond particularly well. I feel that Western Power’s customer service has improved significantly. I feel that Western Power is starting to listen now, literally, to its customers and is actually responding a lot quicker. Western Power can always improve, and it is very conscious of that. But I have been very happy with the response I have received from the board, from the managing director and also from the executive of Western Power. Therefore, when I found out about the disconnections issue the day before yesterday, I was not happy; I really was not. I will be writing to the chairman of the board to express my disquiet with regard to not only the fact that perhaps they dropped the ball in this instance, and I think they acknowledge that, but also the fact that they did not inform me prior to the release of the ERA report. I have a very good, harmonious relationship with the management of Western Power now, and with the board, and I am sure that they will literally take on board my concerns and rectify the situation to ensure that it does not happen again. But, in addition, the communication between my office and Western Power has improved dramatically.
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