What’s your job about?
Western Power is a Western Australian State Government owned corporation and acts as the sole service provider of power distribution and transmission in the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) of Western Australia. In providing this service, Western Power and its associated assets form part of Australia’s critical infrastructure.
I currently work in the Property and Fleet Function, responsible for managing the construction, installation and maintenance of non-network based assets throughout the SWIS.
Using a data-driven approach, I provide the Property and Fleet team with the necessary information to make informed decisions in relation to the execution and development of Western Power’s overall security strategy.
What is your background?
Growing up in Perth, I always spent every chance I could outside. To manage my endless energy, my parents took me to the local ice skating rink, a decision that lead to me competing extensively throughout my schooling years.
In 2013, with the opportunity to pursue my Olympic dream I flew to the Netherlands, ‘the mecca’ of long-track speed skating. This was a decision and place that changed the course of my life significantly.
Here I lived in what was affectionately called ‘the Aussie house’ which was home to two other Australian long-track speed skaters at the time. With additional rooms available throughout the winter, the house became home to skaters from across the globe including South Korea, Latvia, the United States, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.
With intentions of staying just six months, my time in the Netherlands eventuated into five years consisting of thousands of laps of the ice rink, thousands of kilometres on my bike and thousands of lifts in the gym. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to fulfil my Olympic dream, and returned to Australia in January of 2018.
Having studied part time in the Netherlands doing an online degree at Edith Cowan University, I had only a year and a half of studies left which I completed full-time on my return.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Yes! The beauty of my role is that much of the work I undertake is data and research driven. Whilst some of my work requires specialist knowledge, much of this I’ve acquired during my time at Western Power.
To perform my role, you need to think critically and have a healthy dose of scepticism. Don’t accept the data for what it is. It’s important to ask yourself why it’s the way it is. This helps identify possible reasons that a measure is or isn’t working and allows the decision makers to respond accordingly.
What is the coolest thing about your job?
I love seeing my recommendations come into effect and have the desired outcomes. This is arguably the most rewarding aspect of my role. As a Government owned entity Western Power continues to provide me with experiences and networking opportunities I couldn’t have imagined whilst I was studying. This includes meetings with both international bodies and national agencies.
What are the limitations of your job?
In intelligence we have things we know we know, things we know we don’t know and things we don’t know that we don’t know.
It’s important to consider all three of these when assessing the information and data. In many cases, we have access to less than a desirable amount of data and information to assess, but an assessment must be made, and a recommendation must still be provided.
This can be challenging, especially when your recommendation may result in significant expenditure. For this reason, it’s extremely important to clearly articulate the limitations of the available information.
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