Public Power not Private Profit

Latest news: Iemma, Costa gone but Rees continues privatisation madness

The union movement, environmental groups and community groups are strongly opposed to electricity privatisation.

The Greens are committed to keeping the electricity industry in public hands and to exposing the myth that NSW needs a new baseload power station, and have been working with these groups on the campaign to stop the sale. 

1. The victory: sell-off legislation fails to pass the Upper House

Thursday 28 August began with the optimistic news that Michael Costa’s sell-off legislation was doomed. Six ALP members of the NSW Upper House signed a pledge to cross the floor and join Greens and Coalition MPs and one Christian Democrat to vote down the bill.

Rather than suffering the inevitable defeat, the government pulled the plug on the debate before the final vote. The Greens and the Coalition did not have the numbers to defeat the adjournment because the six anti-privatisation Labor MPs felt bound to vote with the government on this procedural motion.

Then-Treasurer Michael Costa’s sell-off had not been authorised by parliament.

2. The betrayal of democracy: selling the retailers by the back door

Shortly after the Upper House adjourned, then-Premier Morris Iemma and his climate sceptic Treasurer announced their (previously non-existent) Plan B: privatisation of the state’s three state-owned retailers, without parliamentary approval. This administrative sell-off would be legal but it violates a direct undertaking given to parliament by the Treasurer in February of this year (given to ward off a Greens bill to close this loophole).

3. Iemma and Costa dumped

The reckless push to privatise the electricity industry cost the Premier and Treasurer their jobs. Coming on top of disasters in health, transport and over-development, their own party finally had had enough.

4. The campaign: protecting democracy, households and the environment

The 'new' Rees government is going ahead with the sale of these crucial essential service providers, against the will of parliament and the people of NSW. To Costa's "Plan B" they have added an even crazier idea: selling off the trading rights of the power generators. This plan is even more problematic than a full-scale sell-off; even the Owen Inquiry rejected it as unworkable.

The sell-off would have devastating consequences for electricity bills for low and medium income household, greenhouse gas emissions and jobs.

The Greens are working with power industry employees, environmentalists and unions to defeat this sell-off.

An urgent effort to lobby all MPs to put pressure on them to dump Rees’ Plan C is required.

Take action now! Send a pre-written email message to be sent to members of the NSW Legislative Council ('Upper House') pointing out that the Premier has no mandate for this action, is betraying a direct commitment made by the Treasurer in parliament, and demanding they represent the people of NSW by putting an end to Costa's Plan B sell-off.

Media:

• For Greens media releases about the campaign, see the Privatisation News page

Defying their own party:

• On 3rd May 2008 the ALP's own State Conference voted overwhelmingly to reject the sell-off plan - 702 votes to 107. This comes on top of a recent survey that show that 85% of people in NSW are opposed to electricity privatisation.
  

• Despite this, Premier Iemma and his Treasurer Michael Costa have said they will ignore their own party and move ahead with the sale. This has caused massive internal conflict within the ALP over their future as a party. About 10-15 ALP members of parliament are expected to cross the floor to vote against the legislation if it ever comes up for a vote.

Greens No Mandate No Privatisation Bill:

Before the election the Premier promised that he would not sell off the state's electricity industry.

After the election the Premier announced that he was going to privatise - and that he does not even need legislation or a vote from the NSW Parliament to do it.

The Greens No Mandate No Privatisation Bill would require the government to bring forward legislation for a vote in Parliament before it could start selling off billions in electricity assets. To read more about the bill go to the No Mandate No Privatisation Campaign page.

More Information:

• More information is available on the Background to Electricity Privatisation page.
• See John's YouTube clip explaining the Greens campaign against privatisation

• An environmental economic analysis of privatisation by Professor Frank Stilwell. Click HERE for a copy of Prof Stilwell's paper.

• See photos of the Feb 26 rally outside Parliament, and a video clip of John at the rally

Take Action!

• To join the campaign call (02) 9230 2668, or email the office of Greens MP John Kaye here.
• Tell the NSW Premier NO to a new baseload power station and NO to the sell off of our electricity retailers. Click here to send him an email or contact the Premier's office by phone: (02) 9228 5239.
• Send a pre-written email message to be sent to members of the NSW Legislative Council ('Upper House') pointing out that the Premier has no mandate for this action, is betraying a direct commitment made by the Treasurer in parliament, and demanding they represent the people of NSW by putting an end to Costa's Plan B sell-off.
  

Resources:

We have prepared a number of resources you can use to support the campaign, many of which you can download from our Resources page.