Western Australia’s Water Corporation has moved 22 high-tech roles in-house after it successfully transferred more than 400 employees from private alliance partnerships in early 2020.
The recent expansion of the Operational Technology (OT) maintenance and support team has created 18 permanent positions at Water Corporation that were previously outsourced, as well as four new positions in the team.
OT is a critical function that underpins the state’s water, wastewater, irrigation and drainage network across 2.6 million square kilometres, allowing its critical infrastructure and processes to be remotely monitored and controlled, supporting real-time, data-driven decision-making.
Water Corporation said securing these essential skills and knowledge provides a platform to build critical OT capability necessary for future service delivery enhancements and improved efficiencies. In addition, a cost saving of $219,000 per annum will be realised.
Earlier in 2020, more than 400 staff from two private alliances transitioned into Water Corporation’s water and wastewater network operations group.
Western Australian Water Minister, Dave Kelly, said, “I’m really pleased to see more and more essential services being brought back into public hands, and it is a great result for these 22 workers.
“The previous operational technology maintenance structure was weighted towards external contractors, which meant much of that knowledge and expertise sat outside Water Corporation.
“The decision to bring OT control, skills, knowledge and intellectual property wholly in-house further strengthens the security and resilience of Water Corporation’s critical infrastructure, while reducing costs for the state.”
