NSW Labor today introduced legislation into the NSW Parliament to make it compulsory for a referendum to be held before the NSW Government is able to proceed to privatise our state electricity or water utilities.
The bill – the State Energy and Water Utilities Protection (Referendum) Bill 2014 – was introduced into the NSW Legislative Council and will ensure that public assets that are valued over $1 billion are not able to be sold without the majority approval of the people of NSW.
The Baird Liberal Government has said it plans to privatise our electricity poles and wires after the next election – something that will increase electricity prices for families and rob the state of over a billion each year that funds infrastructure, hospitals and schools.
When Mike Baird announced his plans to privatise our electricity this year he pledged that he would not sell the electricity network without securing a mandate from the people.
Nationals MP and Minister for Small Business John Barilaro also called for a public referendum before our electricity network is sold.
Opposition Leader John Robertson said: “If the government privatises our electricity poles and wires our state will forever be worse off.”
“Our budget will be over a billion dollars worse off - money that is used to pay for infrastructure, hospitals and schools.
“The public has consistently opposed privatisation of our electricity network – and the people of NSW should have the right to have their say on these proposals via a referendum.
“There is only one way for the NSW community to pass its judgement on the privatisation of these public assets – and that is through a referendum put to the people of NSW.
“These assets represent the investment of NSW taxpayers’ money over many generations – they should have the final say on whether it is sold to a private company or whether the people of NSW continue to be the beneficiaries of the dividends and income that flow from those assets.
“Let’s be very clear, a government will only have a mandate for the privatisation of public assets when it is put to the people in a referendum question and a majority of people vote in support – that is a mandate.”
Shadow Minister for Energy Adam Searle said that such a large privatisation as the sale of the state’s electricity network should be scrutinised independently through a referendum.
“These are core public utilities and the consequence of privatising these assets is that the decision can really never be reversed.
“Once these assets are sold they are gone along with all the financial benefits to the people of NSW to pay for essential services like schools, hospitals and roads.
“The Auditor General confirmed earlier this week that the state’s electricity assets return $1.7 billion to the NSW budget to fund essential infrastructure and services. Under the Liberals’ plan to privatise the assets at least $1.2 billion annually in dividends and income would be handed over to a private company.
“The Liberals’ plan is a dud deal for the people of NSW and must be scrutinised in the full light of a public referendum along with any other mass privatisation plans that they have ready to go in the bottom drawer of Mike Baird’s desk.
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