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Parliamentary Questions


Question On Notice No. 643 asked in the Legislative Council on 24 March 2022 by Hon Martin Aldridge

Question Directed to the: Minister for Regional Development representing the Minister for Energy
Parliament: 41 Session: 1


Question

(1) I refer to Synergy increasingly issuing bills to customers with an estimated meter reading citing a shortage of meter readers, and I ask is there a shortage of meter readers in Western Australia?
(2) If yes to (1), how many positions by FTE are currently vacant or understaffed?
(3) Since 1 January 2022, how many Synergy customers have received an estimated bill arising from a lack of meter readers?
(4) When is it expected that the shortage of meter readers will be resolved?

Answered on 11 May 2022

(1)   From January 2022, meter reading resources have reduced significantly due to COVID-19 directions, a tight employment market in Western Australia, and extreme temperatures – with Perth experiencing the hottest summer on record.

(2)   Western Power are approximately 13 FTE understaffed with respect to meter readers, with a target meter reader workforce of 64 FTE.

(3)   Western Power has estimated 132,139 meters since 1 January 2022, approximately 10% of Western Power’s network.

(4)   Western Power expects to return to regular staffing levels before the end of the financial year.  Western Power has implemented several strategies to manage the resourcing issue going forward, including:

o   changes to the meter reading contractors working arrangements to minimise the impact of extreme heat related absence;

o   improving recruitment strategies with the meter reading contractor to improve recruitment potential and increase retention;

o   deploying AMI meters to reduce the number of manually read meters, with a focus on reducing the most inefficient meter reading areas to improve customer experience

 Western Power is also working with Synergy to mitigate customer impacts where possible.