❓ Question regarding inspection, maintenance, and replacement programs for private electricity poles within Western Power's service area. The answer provides data on inspections, maintenance, replacements, pole composition, non-compliance, and re-inspection processes.
AnsweredQoN 832Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
(1) I refer to inspection, maintenance, and replacement programs for electricity poles located on private property, and I ask for each of the last three financial years (2022–23, 2023–24, and 2024–25), how many private power poles within Western Power’s service area were: (a) inspected; (b) identified as requiring maintenance; and (c) replaced or removed? (2) What is the current frequency or cycle for inspections of private power poles by Western Power or its contractors? (3) What proportion of private poles inspected over the past three years were found to be: (a) metal; and (b) timber? (4) How many private power poles were identified as posing a bushfire risk or non-compliant with safety standards in: (a) 2022–23; (b) 2023–24; and (c) 2024–25 year-to-date? (5) What processes are in place to ensure re-inspection of private power poles where maintenance requirements have been issued, and how many such re-inspections have occurred in each of the last three financial years?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
2 December 2025
Responded by
Leader of the House representing the Minister for Energy and Decarbonisation
Response time
7 days
(1)-(2)
While property owners have an ongoing responsibility for inspecting, maintaining and replacing all of their private power poles, Western Power periodically inspects the first private power pole on a property where that pole is connected to the network’s overhead service cable.
Western Power conducts these inspections once every Access Arrangement, which generally span a period of five years.
Data from Western Power’s inspection of private power poles for the last three financial years is as follows:
Financial Year
Inspected
Requiring Maintenance
Replaced or Removed
2022-23
52,554
12,606
657
2023-24
54,410
18,607
1,248
2024-25
14,653
7,451
828
(3)
(a) 97%
(b) 2%
(4) Non-compliant private poles identified by Western Power in the last three financial years is as follows:
Financial Year
Non- c ompliant P rivate P oles
2022-23
370
2023-24
439
2024-25
119
(5) Customers issued with 30-Day or 90-Day Notices to replace their private power poles are required to do so within the notice period. Western Power tracks the notices to completion, ensuring the pole replacements have taken place.
While property owners have an ongoing responsibility for inspecting, maintaining and replacing all of their private power poles, Western Power periodically inspects the first private power pole on a property where that pole is connected to the network’s overhead service cable.
Western Power conducts these inspections once every Access Arrangement, which generally span a period of five years.
Data from Western Power’s inspection of private power poles for the last three financial years is as follows:
Financial Year
Inspected
Requiring Maintenance
Replaced or Removed
2022-23
52,554
12,606
657
2023-24
54,410
18,607
1,248
2024-25
14,653
7,451
828
(3)
(a) 97%
(b) 2%
(4) Non-compliant private poles identified by Western Power in the last three financial years is as follows:
Financial Year
Non- c ompliant P rivate P oles
2022-23
370
2023-24
439
2024-25
119
(5) Customers issued with 30-Day or 90-Day Notices to replace their private power poles are required to do so within the notice period. Western Power tracks the notices to completion, ensuring the pole replacements have taken place.
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