❓ Dr. Honey questions the adequacy and timeliness of electricity outage payments, prompting the Minister to defend the current scheme, highlighting its superiority to other states and referencing a previous review that doubled payments.
AnsweredQoN 597Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ELECTRICITY
— OUTAGES — COMPENSATION
597. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Energy:
I have a supplementary
question. Surely, the minister must recognise the disadvantage that many people
suffer from the current scheme. Will the minister commit to a review of
the compensation scheme to ensure that people get adequate compensation in a more
timely manner?
— OUTAGES — COMPENSATION
597. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Energy:
I have a supplementary
question. Surely, the minister must recognise the disadvantage that many people
suffer from the current scheme. Will the minister commit to a review of
the compensation scheme to ensure that people get adequate compensation in a more
timely manner?
AnswerView source ↗
Like so many things that the shadow minister does not seem to
understand, this is not a compensation scheme. It is a small payment for the
disruption and inconvenience that people have if they have an extended outage.
It is not designed to compensate anybody for
their losses. If they believe they have a compensable loss, they have
alternative avenues available to them. However, often there is not a compensable
loss because it is not a matter within the control of Western Power. Therefore,
it is made as a payment to people for the inconvenience of the outage.
As I just explained a moment ago, it is either equal to or
exceeds the payments available in every other state in Australia. No state in
Australia is more generous than the Western Australian government's
requirements of Western Power.
As to the question of a review, the government conducted a review
and that is why we doubled the outage payment from the level that was given
when the member for Cottesloe's party was in government. If he is
asking me why the former Liberal government was so derelict in its duties, that
is a question for him.
understand, this is not a compensation scheme. It is a small payment for the
disruption and inconvenience that people have if they have an extended outage.
It is not designed to compensate anybody for
their losses. If they believe they have a compensable loss, they have
alternative avenues available to them. However, often there is not a compensable
loss because it is not a matter within the control of Western Power. Therefore,
it is made as a payment to people for the inconvenience of the outage.
As I just explained a moment ago, it is either equal to or
exceeds the payments available in every other state in Australia. No state in
Australia is more generous than the Western Australian government's
requirements of Western Power.
As to the question of a review, the government conducted a review
and that is why we doubled the outage payment from the level that was given
when the member for Cottesloe's party was in government. If he is
asking me why the former Liberal government was so derelict in its duties, that
is a question for him.
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