Residents in remote Kimberley community use network of extension cords to keep power running

William Smith worries the extension cords pose a safety risk for Embalgun’s residents. (Supplied: Colleen White)

Residents in an Aboriginal community in Western Australia’s far north fear a child will be electrocuted by the substandard power system they are forced to use.

Embalgun community, 180 kilometres north of Broome on the Dampier Peninsula, has million-dollar views overlooking Pender Bay.

But the electricity supply for its 25 residents in a cluster of homes is tenuous.

Community leader William Smith spends almost all his fortnightly pension on diesel fuel to run a generator.

Even then, he only switches it on from 6pm to 6am to save money.

“During the daytime we don’t have any power at all,” Mr Smith said.

“My freezers are always turning off and at times the whitegoods have to be thrown away.”

Mr Smith said the problem was exacerbated if he was away for several days because the power stayed off.

“I go home and the fridge is all rotten. I have to throw the whole lot out – the fridges and the tucker,” he said.

Mr Smith said he spent about $2,000 a month on diesel, which cost about $2.45 per litre to buy in Broome.

“I’m on a disability pension and all my money goes towards generator fuel,” he said.

“And when we can’t afford it, we go without.”

Responsibility for essential and municipal services in remote communities has been a thorny, complex and costly issue for decades.

The Department of Communities (formerly Housing) was responsible for power, water and wastewater in Aboriginal communities from the 1990s until June 2023.

The department’s contractors were tasked with repairs and maintenance.

Mr Smith says Embalgun was neglected under that system.

Despite the safety risk, he has to run a multitude of long cords snaking through the grass, tree branches and verandahs to multi-boards.

“It’s a health and safety problem; it could be my children, my grandchildren [electrocuted],” Mr Smith said.

Improvements on the horizon

State utilities Horizon Power and the Water Corporation took over the essential services in Aboriginal communities on July 1, 2023.

The WA government announced it would spend $200 million to upgrade infrastructure for an estimated 12,000 remote residents in the Kimberley, Pilbara, Goldfields and Midwest regions.

Horizon Power now manages 170 remote communities’ electricity supplies, after taking on an additional 117 in the restructure.

“In the next 12 months, it’s a $50m investment to do regular operations, regular maintenance and kickstart some of the key initiatives,” Horizon remote communities manager Krystal Skinner said.

She said the utility had begun work to improve conditions and services at Embalgun, alongside other small remote communities.

“[At Embalgun] the work we’ve prioritised is around safe and reliable power supply, like the switchboard and behind the meter issues,” Ms Skinner said.

Solar power and batteries would likely be installed longer term.

“That creates a win-win because diesel can be a very expensive fuel source and it can be hard to get it into communities … during the wet season,” Ms Skinner said.

She described Embalgun’s use of extension cords as a “really serious safety concern”.

“We’re working with communities to roll out safety campaigns to stop the use of extension cords being run around,” she said.

Ms Skinner said the utility was making a concerted effort, with 30 additional staff and contractors, to assess all the communities’ power infrastructure and future needs.