❓ Mr. Templeman questions the Minister for Energy regarding a severe electric shock incident involving a deactivated light pole in Mandurah. The Minister acknowledges the seriousness of the incident and outlines ongoing investigations by EnergySafety and Western Power.
AnsweredQoN 157Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STREETLIGHT
POLE — ELECTRIC SHOCK — MANDURAH
157. Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN to the
Minister for Energy:
Before I ask my question, on behalf of the member for
Mirrabooka, I acknowledge the students from John Septimus Roe Anglican
Community School who are in the public gallery today.
I refer to yesterday's terrible incident in Mandurah
involving a 15-year-old boy who received a severe electric shock from a light
pole that Western Power claimed had been deactivated and made safe.
(1) How could
this pole have been reactivated, and is Western Power responsible for the
reactivation of the pole?
(2) Given the
blame game has started over who is responsible for this incident, will the
Minister for Energy take responsibility for answering questions about why the
pole was active when Western Power said that it had been made safe?
(3) Who owns the
pole and why did it lay bent over for five months and was not removed or
repaired?
POLE — ELECTRIC SHOCK — MANDURAH
157. Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN to the
Minister for Energy:
Before I ask my question, on behalf of the member for
Mirrabooka, I acknowledge the students from John Septimus Roe Anglican
Community School who are in the public gallery today.
I refer to yesterday's terrible incident in Mandurah
involving a 15-year-old boy who received a severe electric shock from a light
pole that Western Power claimed had been deactivated and made safe.
(1) How could
this pole have been reactivated, and is Western Power responsible for the
reactivation of the pole?
(2) Given the
blame game has started over who is responsible for this incident, will the
Minister for Energy take responsibility for answering questions about why the
pole was active when Western Power said that it had been made safe?
(3) Who owns the
pole and why did it lay bent over for five months and was not removed or
repaired?
AnswerView source ↗
I would like to
thank the member for the very valid question.
(1)–(3)
Two young children were injured, one seriously, when they touched a pole. It
was actually a streetlight that had been hit by a car back in October last year
and had fallen over. That is completely unacceptable. In this state, when
something like that happens, EnergySafety makes an inquiry. That is underway.
Western Power is also investigating, as is, I assume, the City of Mandurah. I
will not make any conclusions until those studies are completed, as we need the
facts. What the member mentioned is right—the pole was supposedly
de-energised way back in October 2014. That is what I have been told. Clearly,
something went wrong—electricity was in the pole and it impacted two
young people yesterday. We have to get to the bottom of that, and that is what
we will do. EnergySafety, as per its standard policy, will make a public
statement about its findings. It is strange that it was supposedly de-energised
all those months ago, but it was not. Let the experts get to it. The issue is
who owns the pole. My understanding—EnergySafety will get to the bottom
of that—is it was the City of Mandurah —
Mr D.A. Templeman : Are you not responsible
for EnergySafety, though?
Dr M.D. NAHAN : No, I am not.
Mr
D.A. Templeman : Why do you not take responsibility?
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : As far as I understand, the City of Mandurah owns the pole,
though it relied on Western Power to de-energise it. The question is: why was
the pole sitting on the ground for nearly five months? I do not know. We are
not going to make a political issue of this. Kids' lives were at risk;
they were injured. We are going through EnergySafety, which is the system we
have here, to get to the bottom of it. When it does, we will report on it.
thank the member for the very valid question.
(1)–(3)
Two young children were injured, one seriously, when they touched a pole. It
was actually a streetlight that had been hit by a car back in October last year
and had fallen over. That is completely unacceptable. In this state, when
something like that happens, EnergySafety makes an inquiry. That is underway.
Western Power is also investigating, as is, I assume, the City of Mandurah. I
will not make any conclusions until those studies are completed, as we need the
facts. What the member mentioned is right—the pole was supposedly
de-energised way back in October 2014. That is what I have been told. Clearly,
something went wrong—electricity was in the pole and it impacted two
young people yesterday. We have to get to the bottom of that, and that is what
we will do. EnergySafety, as per its standard policy, will make a public
statement about its findings. It is strange that it was supposedly de-energised
all those months ago, but it was not. Let the experts get to it. The issue is
who owns the pole. My understanding—EnergySafety will get to the bottom
of that—is it was the City of Mandurah —
Mr D.A. Templeman : Are you not responsible
for EnergySafety, though?
Dr M.D. NAHAN : No, I am not.
Mr
D.A. Templeman : Why do you not take responsibility?
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : As far as I understand, the City of Mandurah owns the pole,
though it relied on Western Power to de-energise it. The question is: why was
the pole sitting on the ground for nearly five months? I do not know. We are
not going to make a political issue of this. Kids' lives were at risk;
they were injured. We are going through EnergySafety, which is the system we
have here, to get to the bottom of it. When it does, we will report on it.
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