Mood:
rushedTopic: nsw govt
Green Party MP Dr John Kaye MLC, 2 days ago:
Sent: Monday, May 19, 2008 9:11 AMSubject: [Greens-Media] Coalition will sacrifice credibility if it backsIemma's power sell-offCoalition will sacrifice credibility if it backs Iemma's power sell-off
Media Release: 19 May 2008
NSW Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell and Nationals Leader Andrew Stoner would be unable to enforce their five electricity sell-off pre-conditions if they vote for Premier Iemma's legislation, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.
Commenting on the story on page 2 of today's Sydney Morning Herald, Dr Kaye said: "Coalition support for privatisation could only be on a wing and a promise.
"The government's Electricity Industry Restructuring Bill creates broad ranging powers for Treasurer Michael Costa to privatise the state's retailers and the generators in any way he sees fit, without further reference to parliament.
"The legislation ignores four of the five Coalition pre-conditions.
"It would be very difficult, if not impossible, to amend the Bill to include independent oversight of the sale process by the auditor-general or a parliamentary committee or the adoption of a Rural Communities Impact statement.
"Support for the Iemma government's legislation would then be based on a promise from Treasurer that he would implement the Coalition's conditions.
"For months Mr O'Farrell maintained the Coalition would 'wait to see the detail' before promising to back the changes to electricity industry ownership.
"Now that the Electricity Industry Restructuring Bill is available on the government's web site, it is clear that the Iemma government has no intention of releasing the details of how the industry will be restructured and sold-off.
"It would be a massive back down for the Liberals and Nationals to vote for legislation that allows the Treasurer to choose the final structure of the industry, the nature of the sale or lease and the maximum ownership level any one individual can hold.
"He can even override provisions of the Trade Practices Act relating to electricity trading contracts.
"The Coalition's credibility is on the line. If they hand over control of the electricity industry to Treasurer Costa, their promise to scrutinise the sell-off will prove to have been nothing but political posturing to placate unhappy rural MPs," Dr Kaye said.
For more information: John Kaye 0407 *** ***
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Now we hear via ABC radio this morning 21 May 2008, that both the Shooters Party and the National Party are being duchessed for their votes with these, respectively:
1. Increased access, says ABC radio this morning to most State Forests. Similar to this 9 May Game on: forest ferals are hunters' targets - Local News - News ... Hard to get any record online and the minister Ian Maconald is taking our call on notice. Seems they are checking with their Game Council, a NSW Govt initiative. Nothing in their list of media releases. ABC news confirm its sourced to Brian Boyle, the Game Council executive officer. Such a provenance suggests high politics at ministerial level. The Game Council's David Dixon explains 192 state forests were advertised in early March and finalised in the Government Gazette on Friday 7th May 2008. Now the Game Council are administratively rolling out access to sporting shooters. The trouble is these folks are not scientific or expert clinical marksmen and unlikely to make any dent in feral populations even with truck loads of carcasses. It's bad policy.
2. 21 May 2008 Don't sell off stock routes, Iemma urged - ABC News
This is an affront to public safety and conservation concerns. But nothing matters to Iemma and the spiv ALP except that $15 billion Opera House sized pot of money.
It's not money that is evil they say, but the love of money, and that's what we are seeing with this destruction of sound land use public policy in the big energy power wrestle.
