Snowy Investigation Before Privatisation - 11 April 2006

The findings of the scientific committee set up to investigate the environmental effects of the Snowy Hydro scheme should form a basis for any decision about whether the sale of the scheme should go ahead, Greens MLC Ian Cohen said today.

“The establishment of this committee is a welcome but overdue step. Under the Snowy Hydro Corporatisation Act 1997, the NSW, Victorian and Commonwealth governments have clear legislative responsibilities to establish the Scientific Committee including timelines for reporting and advising on decisions pertaining to the management of Snowy Hydro. The government has until now been in breach of this obligation.” Mr Cohen said.

“Because this committee has not been established in the decade since corporatisation, there are no reports available to indicate performance on environmental flows, climate change and potential impact on river flows including the Murray, Murrumbidgee and Snowy.

“Setting up the committee at this stage will be seen as a cynical exercise by the government to detract from the unpopularity of the proposed sale. The committee’s findings on the adequacy of flows for the Snowy River should be taken into consideration before Premier Iemma decides to sell the NSW share of the Snowy scheme.

“It is difficult to see how environmental flows could be guaranteed if the scheme is privatised. A privatised Snowy will put the interests of shareholders first, not the recommendations of a scientific committee.

“The Premier should put any plans to sell the Snowy Hydro on hold until the scientific committee has reported on the environmental impacts of the scheme. He should then put the sell-off proposal to a full debate and a vote of both houses of Parliament.” Mr Cohen said.