Council votes to oppose power sell-off
April 30, 2008
Section: News
CARA NASH and KATINA CURTIS
Kiama Council has voted to strongly oppose the NSW Government’s plans to privatise state-owned electricity retailers and enter into long-term leases of power stations.
The Government has said it had been driven to privatise by a rising demand for electricity, requiring 24- hour-a-day power stations.
It had also argued that private power companies would invest only in a fully privatised industry.
Kiama Council’s motion said both these reasons were unfounded and privatisation would have a number of detrimental effects within the local and broader community.
At the council’s April meeting, Deputy Mayor Howard Jones moved that the council convey its opposition to the privatisation plan to Premier Morris Iemma, Treasurer Michael Costa, Kiama MP Matt Brown, the NSW Local Government Association, Unions NSW, the South Coast Labour Council and the Total Environment Centre.
“This opposition is not being done on ideological grounds, but the privatisation is being done on ideological grounds and it is emanating from the office of Michael Costa, who is a climate change sceptic,” Cr Jones said.
There was no opposition to this motion from any councillors.
In his motion, Cr Jones said the council believed the move would have an unfair impact on rural and regional NSW, leading to a lower quality of service in regional areas.
This would be accompanied by a loss of jobs, particularly in regional-based call centres, and a reduction in working conditions in the electricity industry.
Cr Nerissa Bradley agreed, saying: “I think if we privatise our electricity industry, it will be the disadvantaged in our society who will suffer the most.”
The move to privatise electricity providers has been met with strong opposition from unions.
The Labor Party’s members are expected to also oppose the plan at the ALP conference next month.
The council’s move puts it at odds with the local ALP electorate council, which is reportedly the only council out of 140 across the State to support the privatisation plan.