Published on Friday, 20 February 2026 at 2:28:16 PM
Electricity and Telecommunications Outages: Shire calls for improved planning and communications
The Shire of West Arthur is calling on State and Federal Governments, Western Power and Telstra to urgently improve outage planning and communications following an unacceptable number of planned and unplanned power outages affecting local residents and businesses.
Shire President Cr Karen Harrington said the community has experienced repeated disruptions since the beginning of January 2025, with a clear concentration of outages during the summer months.
“Residents within the Shire of West Arthur have recently experienced an unacceptable number of planned and unplanned power outages,” Cr Harrington said. “Apart from the large number of outages, what stands out is that all but one of these outages occurred in summer—when extreme heat can present very real risks for people’s health and wellbeing.”
Planned outages recorded since the beginning of January 2025 occurred on:
- 8 January 2025
- 18 February 2025
- 24 March 2025
- 4 November 2025
- 9 January 2026
- 3 February 2026
- 10 February 2026
- 18 February 2026
- 19 February 2026
Unplanned outages recorded in the same period occurred on:
- 24 January 2025
- 25 January 2025
- 29 May 2025
- 10 November 2025
- 14 November 2025
- 28 November 2025
- 14 December 2025
- 15 December 2025
- 22 January 2026
- 14 February 2026
- 15 February 2026
Cr Harrington said the timing and frequency of outages has heightened community concern, particularly for older residents and people without adequate cooling.
“Many of our residents are elderly and/or don’t have access to air-conditioning in their homes,” she said. “Consideration should be given to conducting planned outages at more temperate times of the year wherever possible.”
Telecommunications disruptions are compounding the impact of power outages across the Shire. With most residents now relying on mobile phones, access to basic communications can be lost within hours.
“Telstra mobile towers only have a battery life of around four hours,” Cr Harrington said. “When we have a power outage, Western Power is supposed to advise Telstra so Telstra can deliver a generator to affected towers. Local residents are concerned that communications between Western Power and Telstra have been less than successful.”
Cr Harrington pointed to issues experienced this week, including a planned outage on 19 February where residents were advised power would be out from 6.00am to 4.00pm, but supply did not go off until 9.45am.
“Changes like this are problematic for many people and businesses who plan their day around published outage timeframes,” she said.
The Shire of West Arthur is calling for:
- The State Government to improve communications to local communities, including clearer explanations of the reasons for unplanned outages and better advice when planned outage timings differ significantly from what occurs on the ground.
- Better communications and coordination between Western Power and Telstra so each organisation can meet its responsibilities effectively and efficiently—particularly to ensure mobile coverage is maintained during outages through timely generator deployment.
- The Federal Government to work with Telstra to improve the battery life of mobile towers nationwide, and to explore alternative arrangements to ensure generators can be delivered to towers quickly when required.
“Our community deserves reliable power and reliable communications,” Cr Harrington said. “When outages occur, people need accurate, timely information and practical measures to maintain essential services—especially in summer.”
- ENDS -
Media contact:
Vincent Fordham Lamont, CEO
Phone: 08 9736 2400
Email: shire@westarthur.wa.gov.au
Issued by:
Cr Karen Harrington
President, Shire of West Arthur
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