[Greens-Media] Rees plan puts private sector in charge of NSW power stations

[John Kaye]

Rees plan puts private sector in charge of NSW power stations 
 
Media release: 18 November 2008
 
NSW Treasury officials disclosed today that Premier Rees' electricity privatisation plans would put important management decisions for the state's publicly-owned power stations into the hands of private sector traders.
 
Treasury Secretary John Pierce and Deputy Secretary Kevin Cosgriff made the admission under questioning from Greens NSW MP John Kaye at a parliamentary budget estimates meeting.
 
Dr Kaye said: "NSW Treasury officials have blown the whistle on Premier Rees' generator trader model. It is a giant step towards the original Costa/Iemma plan.
 
"Power station industrial relations, operations and maintenance decisions will all be specified by a contract between the private sector trader and the public sector operator.
 
"Leasing out the rights to trade the energy from the state's publicly-owned power stations is a Trojan horse for full privatisation.
 
"Once the traders have control of key decisions, it is a very small step to former Treasurer Michael Costa's power station leasing model that was resoundingly rejected by the ALP and the people of NSW.
 
"This revelation will come as a shock to power station workers, Labor party members and the community.
 
"The State will be left owning a shell as all key decisions regarding the management of the state's publicly owned power stations are determined by the successful tenderer for the generator trading rights. 
 
"Premier Rees and Infrastructure Minister Joe Tripodi had cleverly disguised the original Costa/Iemma plan but the cat is now out of the bag. 
 
"The back door sell-off scheme will slowly but surely pass control of the state's coal-burning power stations to the private sector.
 
"Premier Rees should immediately abandon this underhanded attempt to privatise the generators by the back door," Dr Kaye said.
 

For more information: John Kaye 0407 195 455
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John Kaye
Greens member of the NSW Parliament
phone: (02) 9230 2668
fax: (02) 9230 2586
mobile: 0407 195 455
email: john.kaye at parliament.nsw.gov.au
web: www.johnkaye.org.au
 
mail: Parliament House, Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000