What it does
The Electricity Act 1945 (WA) is a foundational regulatory statute governing the generation, transmission, distribution, supply, and use of electricity in Western Australia. It confers powers and imposes obligations on supply authorities and network operators, establishes a system for the approval of electrical appliances, creates energy efficiency standards, and provides the framework for licensing electrical workers and contractors through regulations made under section 32. The Act was originally enacted in 1945 to replace the Electricity Act 1937, and its long title was amended in 1979 and 2004 to reflect its evolving scope. The Act does not apply to Government electric railways operated at a nominal pressure of 25 kV under the Government Railways Act 1904 (section 4A). Central to the Act's operation is the distinction between legacy supply authorities (entities that held that status immediately before the 2004 amendments) and network operators, which include transmission licensees, distribution licensees, exempt operators, and certain classes of AES registration holders and exempt AES providers. The Act grants supply authorities extensive powers to enter land, open and break up streets, install transmission and distribution works, and contract for the supply of electricity. However, these powers are balanced by duties to compensate for damage, reinstate public works, and maintain safe service apparatus. The Act also contains consumer protection provisions, including the requirement for uniform charges within zones (section 43), the prohibition on requiring incoming tenants to pay outgoing tenants' arrears (section 38), and the duty to keep meters in proper order (section 39). Offences under the Act range from illegal interference with works to unauthorised use of electricity and meter tampering, with penalty maxima of $50,000 for individuals and $250,000 for bodies corporate under the general penalty provision (section 52). Part IVA empowers the Director of Energy Safety to prescribe classes of electrical appliances that must be approved before sale or hire, and to prohibit unsafe or dangerous appliances. Part IVB enables regulations setting minimum energy efficiency standards and labelling requirements for electrical apparatus and installations. The Act is administered by the Coordinator of Energy and the Director of Energy Safety, both defined by reference to the Energy Coordination Act 1994. The Act also includes a two-year limitation period for prosecutions (section 53).