Western Power: 563 work laptops worth $1 million stolen over two and half years

More than a million dollars worth of computers belonging to Western Power have been stolen or lost in just two and half years, it has been revealed.

From July 2023 to December last year the agency responsible for the state’s electricity network lost or had stolen 563 computers, laptops and tablets — the equivalent of one for every five employees — raising questions about its ability to manage the security of taxpayer funded electronic equipment.

“If this is the standard at which we’re operating it’s a wonder the government gets by at all,” Shadow Energy Minister Steve Thomas said.

In the same period 198 Western Power-owned mobile phones were reported lost or stolen, costing taxpayers $143,000.

By comparison WA Health, which employs close to 50,000 staff and is about 16 times bigger than Western Power, had just 90 computers and 63 phones lost or stolen in the same period.

“Western Power is responsible for billions of dollars worth of state assets... in the next few years it will oversee the rollout of billions of dollars more of poles and wires for the state’s transition to renewable energy,” Mr Thomas said.

Mr Thomas said Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson has something to answer for and questions just what sensitive information was on those computers.

“Perhaps Amber-Jade Sanderson knew that those laptops had the evidence that proved that the government’s energy transition was an utter failure and perhaps they’ve been lost on purpose,” he said.

In a statement Western Power says lost laptops represent around two percent of it’s inventory and it continues to review its controls to minimise loss.