Financial relief for cyclone affected Western Australians

• Electricity and water support for people impacted by ex-tropical cyclone Seroja
• Follows cyclone recovery efforts underway including disaster assistance activation
• McGowan Government committed to supporting affected families and businesses

The McGowan Government today announced electricity and water financial relief packages to support those affected by the devastating impacts of ex-tropical cyclone Seroja.

The relief package for those impacted includes:

• doubling Western Power's Extended Outage Payment from $80 to $160 for customers impacted by an outage or outages collectively exceeding 12 hours;
• waiving fees related to network connections and reconnections for people whose properties were destroyed;
• reconnecting electricity for existing customers and replacing damaged meters free-of-charge;
• waiving the cost of establishing a temporary builder supply, up to $555, for residents whose property has been destroyed;
• waiving supply and abolishment fees for meters at properties who may be candidates for alternative solutions (such as stand-alone power systems); 
• Synergy and Water Corporation to pause collection activities for overdue and outstanding accounts; 
• customers with water meter damage will have their meter replaced at no cost;
• customers who have lost their property will have existing and new charges waived, in addition to the waiving of water service charges (until 2022), building application fees and any service connection or disconnection fees;
• a major fixture waiver will be applied to impacted businesses for two water billing cycles and additional support extended to those indirectly impacted - landlords and property managers should ensure the waiver is passed onto their tenants;
• all Kalbarri and Northampton customers will automatically receive a 50,000 litre water use allowance, have service charges waived for 12 months and receive additional billing support as required.

Around 31,800 homes and businesses were affected by the storm damage in the Mid West and Wheatbelt regions.

The cyclone's damage, which was 700 kilometres long and 150 kilometres wide, affected 20 per cent of Western Power's network - the equivalence is larger than Tasmania. Several hundred power poles, feeders and other electrical infrastructure were damaged.

More than 26,800 customers have had their power restored and Western Power is working to get the remaining back on as safely and quickly as possible - for some this may take weeks.

Thousands of kilometres of Water Corporation pipeline, and more than 200 water tanks, pump stations and other infrastructure across the Mid West were impacted by the cyclone and the resulting loss of power.

Water Corporation staff have been on the ground repairing storm damage and connecting dozens of generators, until power can be fully restored.

Water Corporation's residential and business customers affected by ex-tropical cyclone Seroja can apply for a range of assistance measures by visiting http://www.watercorporation.com.au/serojarelief or phoning 13 13 85.

For more information on the Extended Outage Payment, visit: https://www.westernpower.com.au/faults-outages/make-a-claim/extended-outage

Comments attributed to Energy Minister Bill Johnston:

"The impacts of ex-tropical Cyclone Seroja have been devastating for our communities in the Mid West and Wheatbelt regions. 

"This electricity relief package is one of the first local initiatives the McGowan Government has introduced to help these communities recover.

"Repairing the electricity network is massive and the biggest ever undertaken by Western Power; thank you to the 230 staff that have been rebuilding the network in such a short time."

Comments attributed to Water Minister Dave Kelly:

"The relief package for Water Corporation customers will provide additional financial assistance to communities in the Mid West who have been hit hard by this natural disaster.

"Water Corporation have been prioritising the maintenance of essential drinking water and wastewater services in the aftermath of the cyclone.

"On behalf of the State Government, I'd like to thank all Water Corporation staff for all their dedication and hard work during the recovery operations."

Energy Minister's office - 6552 6700
Water Minister's office - 6552 6100