WHILE cumbersome, both industry and employee representatives say they are happy with the consultation opportunities they have been given through the electricity reform process structure.
The Western Australian Government created the rather byzantine consultation process that became even more twisted with the addition of an industry reference group.
That group made up of industry, consumer, renewable energy, environment, Government and Western Power representatives reports to Energy Minister Eric Ripper, the Electricity Reform Implementation Unit and the Electricity Reform Implementation Steering Committee.
Below the IRG is a consultant input group made up of technical, financial, legal and human resources experts that also reports to the ERIU and the ERISC.
The ERIU reports directly to the ERISC, which reports directly to Government.
On the right – ironically – is the union consultation committee including Premier Geoff Gallop’s Parliamentary Secretary Mark McGowan, the Communications Electrical and Plumbing Union and the Australian Services Union, the Mining and Energy branch of the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union and the Australian Metal Workers’ Union.
Both industry and employee representatives had been concerned about the lack of a plan laying out how the electricity reform process would be implemented.
The Electricity Reform Implementation Unit has completed its plan for the deregulation process and is awaiting Government approval to put it into place.
That plan is expected to be a hot topic of conversation between the five groups that make up the consultation process.