Greens MLC Ian Cohen says the NSW Government’s decision to sell off its share of the Snowy scheme is a betrayal of the people of NSW.
“The Premier has been deceiving the public of NSW about his intentions on this sell-off,” Mr Cohen said.
“His deliberate obfuscation when questioned about it in recent weeks, combined with this Friday afternoon announcement, marks a Premier too cowardly to be direct with the public.
“The Greens have key environmental concerns in regard to the sell off. Environmental water flows, which have taken years to secure, could be put at risk by a newly privatised authority that is legally bound to put shareholders’ interests first.
“We are also concerned about the future of Australia’s highest town, Cabramurra, built by the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority, which has been under threat from over-development in the past.
“It will also undoubtedly be more difficult to force a privatised Snowy corporation to clean up its old infrastructure and remove power lines from National Parks.
“The last time a NSW Premier tried to sell off electricity assets he was rebuffed by his party and the people of NSW. Bob Carr was forced to back down over his electricity privatisation plans,” Mr Cohen said.
“Now Premier Iemma is betraying the Mums and Dads of NSW who would not have expected their new Premier to succumb to the privatisation bug so quickly.
“To sell off this prized state asset and critical piece of infrastructure is a short sighted billion dollar mistake,” Mr Cohen said.
No comments:
Post a Comment