After enduring an “unacceptable number” of power and mobile outages, a Wheatbelt shire president has called for urgent planning and communication improvements as local businesses and residents suffer.
The Shire of West Arthur has endured 20 electricity and telecommunications failures between January 8, 2025 and February 15, 2026 — 11 of which were unplanned.
All but one of the outages occurred during the summer months, with most going for several hours.
Of the 773 shire residents, about 194 live in the Darkan townsite according to the 2021 census, and are connected to the main water pipes.
Therefore, about 579 residents who rely on rainwater tanks and pumps also lose access to water during these outages.
Shire president Karen Harrington said the community had experienced repeated disruptions with a clear concentration of outages during the summer months.
“Residents within the shire 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.”
Cr Harrington said telecommunications disruptions were compounding the impact of power outages across the shire.
She said 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,” she 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.”
A Western Power spokesperson said there was regular contact with telecommunications providers, but it was the providers’ role to manage generators and support their services.
Cr Harrington said uncommunicated changes are problematic for many people and businesses who plan their day around published outage timeframes.
“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.”
Unreliable power, water, and mobile service during fire season can be fatal, especially because firefighting is volunteer-based in the shire.
For example, residents were advised that power would be out on February 19 from 6am-4pm, but supply did not shut off until 9.45am and there was no update issued.
The spokesperson said on this occasion crews were redeployed to Picton for an emergency, delaying the works at West Arthur.
They said planned outages were communicated in advance with affected customers by SMS, email or mail.
Cr Harrington said the timing and frequency of outages had 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.”
The issue has prompted the shire to call for urgent communication and planning improvements regarding future power failures.
The shire was calling on the State Government to improve communication, including clear explanations for unplanned outages and advice when planned outages change.
It also called for greater communication and co-ordination between Western Power and Telstra so responsibilities could be met effectively and efficiently, particularly maintaining mobile coverage.
On a national scale, the shire hoped the Federal Government could work with Telstra to enhance mobile tower battery life and explore alternative arrangements to deliver generators in a timely manner.
The Western Power spokesperson said they “appreciate the patience and understanding of homes and businesses” during shire outages as recent works “maintain a safe, reliable and resilient electricity network for local communities”.
Western Power added that they consider cancelling planned outages “where the temperature exceeds 38C; and the outage continues over consecutive days, or there is a significant community impact”.
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